Another Human
by TheFlameRose
Summary: She is all alone. The only family she had left is now gone, and she's left to fend for herself. One dark night, she's attacked, but before death comes to take her, she is saved by Him. He's so different...but so familiar. It was as if they were just like each other. Does this mean that there's...another human? OC/Multiple People. Reviews appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

Hello there, my fellow FanFiction readers. I would like to introduce you to my very first FanFic! Isn't it adorable? No? Yeah, I thought the lines were a little off...

Anyway, Thanks for taking time to read this story. Sorry if its not the best...Constructive criticism accepted!

Disclaimer: I don't own Adventure Time. Sorry if you thought otherwise :)

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The Enchiridion weighed my backpack down, causing it to bounce repeatedly against my back with every step I took. I narrowed my eyes in annoyance before remembering who had given it to me, and that I would never be able to see them again.

I swallowed back the sobs that tried to overwhelm me for the second time that day, forcing myself to think of the future, and not of the past. I needed to focus. That's what She would have wanted.

My ears perked up at the sudden snapping of a twig, and I shrank into the shadows, pressing my back tightly against the nearest tree. A stray thought that She'd be here to save me crossed my mind, but I pushed it away, my teeth clenching as I tried to stay quiet. I was a big girl now. I didn't need her anymore. But Glob, did I miss her.

I grasped the hilt of Her sword tightly, tensing up as I strained my ears. I had to be prepared so that I wouldn't be caught off guard, like She had been.

Another twig snapped, but this time it was much closer, almost like it was from the other side of my tree. The thought made a chill run down my spine. I listened intently, trying to decipher who- or what- it was.

Two distinctly different footsteps came from the north, making me shrink against the tree even more._ How could they be so quiet when there are leaves all over the ground? _I thought to myself in surprise. I unsheathed the sword and crouched, watching, waiting, listening. Exactly like she had taught me to do.

The pale moonlight barely penetrated through the treetops, faintly lighting the surrounding forest just enough that I could see, but not be seen. It was almost too good to be true.

I saw their shadows before anything else, and right away I decided one was some part canine, while the other was humanoid, or something close to one. My eyes widened when I caught sight of the shape of a sword in the hand of the humanoid's shadow. Were they still hunting me? Hadn't they taken enough from me already?

Finally, after what felt like a century, they entered the clearing. My guesses were correct as my eyes went straight to the yellow dog, who was sniffing the ground like it was on the trail of something.

_Most likely me,_ I thought, cursing myself for my own stupidity. Why hadn't I erased my tracks?

I looked back over at the duo, but instead of looking at the dog again, I looked up, at the humanoid creature beside it. I bit my lip to suppress the gasp of shock that threatened to escape as I stared at him. He wasn't just another humanoid-like creature.

The steel-cold look of determination on his face made memories of Her rush back, but I tried to really examine him before my emotions overtook my mind again. I didn't need that again.

On his head sat a pure white bear hat, its black, glassy eyes staring straight ahead as the boy looked around. It was trying its best to conceal the blonde strands of hair that curled softly around his hardened face, but it wasn't able to hide all of them. The boy's blue eyes were narrowed in suspicion, like he knew something was watching him, but didn't know what. And it was frustrating him. I smirked.

He groaned, smacking himself in the forehead with his free hand. The yellow dog stopped its sniffing and looked up, its face somehow managing to contort with confusion. The boy shared a glance with it, his mouth opening to explain why he did what he did when a shrill scream echoed from somewhere beyond the clearing. Instantly, the boy turned his head and took off running, the dog hot on his heels.

I held my breath as I watched them go, the Adventuress inside me practically begging me to go with them to find out what was going on with that scream. But then, the more logical side of me shut her up, telling me to just keep going forward. I had no need to get caught up in something I didn't yet understand.

As much as it pained me to just let it go, I crept back into the clearing, resuming my path as if it had never been interrupted. I put the sword back in the sheath on my hip, hoping I didn't have to draw it out again anytime soon.

My feet were a whisper as I walked on the forest floor, a feat that could only be accomplished from years of training and living near the woods. She had always been so proud of my stealth skills. She'd said that only the most skilled Adventurers were patient enough to even attempt at silence. Even She couldn't move as silently as I could.

What little peace I had managed to have at the moment was shattered when a large, muscular hand gripped my body, tossing me carelessly through the air and smashing my head against a tree.

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**A/N:** This has been revised as of 3/27/13. Yay! Hope it's even better than before :D


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again, my fellow FanFiciton readers! So, I bet you missed me :) No? Well, you had to of been wanting more of this story, right? :D No again? WELL THEN. I SEE HOW THIS RELATIONSHIP STANDS!

ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER!

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time...*sniffle*

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_My feet were a whisper as I walked on the forest floor, a feat that could only be accomplished from years of training and living near the woods. She had always been so proud of my stealth skills. She'd said that only the most skilled Adventurers were patient enough to even attempt at silence. Even She couldn't move as silently as I could._

_What little peace I had managed to have at the moment was shattered when a large, muscular hand gripped my body, tossing me carelessly through the air and smashing my head against a tree._

* * *

I moaned in pain, my head feeling as though a sledgehammer had been slammed into my head. I reached back and tentatively touched the back of my head, wincing at the sharp sting. A whimper escaped my throat when my hand came back red.

A deep, rumbling cackle echoed around me, sounding as though it were coming from everywhere, but nowhere, at the same time. It was disorienting to my already dizzy brain.

I used the tree I had been thrown up against as leverage to haul myself up, my arms strong from all the wielding I had done with my sword. I didn't let my guard down as I scanned the area around me. It looked like no one was there, but I could feel their eyes burning holes into me as they stared. They were dark. And _hungry._ I shivered.

Its deformed silhouette appeared as a sliver of moonlight hit it, revealing its location. Seeing that it couldn't hide anymore, it stepped out from the cover of the trees, its body so massive that it casted a shadow over my face. I gasped in surprise at its sheer size as it stepped even closer. I gripped the hilt of my sword, ready to pull it out if it tried anything.

A strained, gurgling-like noise bubbled up from the beast, as if it were laughing. The disturbing sound made my skin crawl and my stomach knot in disgust. Then, it turned what should have been its head to the sky, sniffing the air like that yellow dog from earlier had.

"_Oooooohhh…._" It groaned, its voice hoarse and raspy. "_Such a won-der-ful scent_…" It stepped closer.

I unsheathed the sword, holding it out defensively in front of me. I positioned my body into a fight-or-flight position, just like She had taught me.

"Stay back!" I shouted, my voice sounding much surer than I really felt, "Unless you want skewered right through the heart!" It made the revolting gurgling noise again.

"_So brave_…" It rasped, "_So stupid_…"

I only had time to widen my eyes as it smacked me with its hand, a tingling sensation from the contact making me want to hurl. I was flung through the air, landing unceremoniously in a heap on the other side of the clearing. It stomped after me, a sick slurping sound reverberating around me as it moved in.

I scrambled back onto my feet, dancing back just in time before its large hand swiped through the air again, giving me the perfect opportunity to strike.

I slashed down with the sword, digging it down deep into the creature's muscular hand. It shrieked, the shrill noise sounding so high and loud, that I thought my eardrums would shatter any second. I relinquished my hold on the sword to protect my ears from the monster's onslaught. The first mistake I made of the night.

It withdrew its hand, crawling back into the shadows that protected its appearance from my eyes. It picked the sword out like it was a mere sliver, growling as it dug it deeper in before it got it out.

The sword fell from its grasp, landing with a thud on the ground beside it, which was over thirty feet away from me. My eyes darted around, looking for some way for me to retrieve it before the beast could grab me.

My hopes were crushed when strode closer, blocking out the sword from my field of vision. My brain went into overdrive as I considered every possible ways I could escape, or better yet, fight, this thing. I wouldn't stand a chance with only my fists as weapons, but that wouldn't stop me from trying.

Once, a long time ago, She had told me that my way of thinking would be my undoing one day. She might have been right.

I sprinted forward, using my speed and agility to my advantage. But the closer I got to the foul creature, the more the putrid smell of rotting carcasses filled my nostrils. I was barely able to stop myself from reaching as I kicked out, slamming my foot into what I guessed to be its body.

It was like being thrown against rubber, my hitting its body. I was thrown back, my eyes widened in surprise as I tumbled onto the ground. _What in Ooo was this creature made of?_

It gurgled again, even louder than before. "_Mmm…I will enjoy seeing you writhe in pain…"_

Fear reared its ugly head into my heart, and with it came fury. I hated feeling scared or powerless. It was one of the few things that seemed to piss me off more than anything else.

Gritting my teeth, I darted forward, drawing its attention and successfully making it take a swing at me. Using what little distraction I had just made, I slid under the fist, making a mad dash to the sword.

My fingers had just touched the hilt when I was knocked through the air once more, this time landing high up in a tree. The sharp, prickly branches dug into my threadbare clothes, scraping and stabbing my already bruised and battered skin.

I gasped for breath, my lung aching for it since I had lost it all when it smacked me in the chest. My vision grew dimmer as the world spun around me, and I knew I had lost too much blood. It was only a matter of time before I would be unconscious.

The branch I was slumped against creaked. It was such a small, insignificant noise, but its meaning instantly had me vigilant and wary. I threw my arms up to cover my head just in time for the bough to snap in half, sending me crashing down the tree.

The world was a mish-mash of brown and blue as I fell. I clenched my teeth tightly so I wouldn't bite my tongue every time I hit another limb. The pain blossomed all over, and I knew if I made it out of this fight, I would be absolutely covered in bruises by morning.

The gurgling laughter of the creature boomed throughout the entire forest, the pure amplitude of it shaking the ground I had finally managed to hit.

"_Not quick enough, are you?" _It gurgled. "_I'm going to enjoy ripping you into little pieces…"_ And with that, it came closer, standing right under the strongest ray of moonlight in the entire clearing, allowing me to see it clearly. I almost wished I hadn't.

Its thick legs were literally made of tree trunks, making it look as though it had grown right out of the forest floor. But one look at its bulging body made me discard any such notion. Its body was _huge,_ glistening and quivering at every move it made. It appeared to have the consistency and complexion of a ball of slime.

Its eyes bugged out from what must have once been eye sockets, but had long since been in the right place. I started to feel faint when my eyes zeroed in on its mouth, and I couldn't believe how close I had been to being devoured every time I tried to get closer to the creature.

The arms that protruded from its sides were a darker shade of color than the rest of its ghastly body. They were _way _out of proportion as well, seeing as they were almost twice the size of its still trembling body. And it was when it opened and closed its hands that I found the mouth. Or should I say, _mouths._

Sharp, needle-thin teeth stood guard at the gaping holes that were in the creature's hands. Fresh blood glistened brightly from around the gaping hole, and in horror I realized why it had kept tossing me around instead of just crushing me, when it was _extremely _obvious how easily it could have.

It enjoyed playing with its food.

It started with little tastes here and there, testing to see if it would be worth the trouble to kill. Once it was deemed worthy, it started playing rougher, just like one would tenderize their meat before cooking it. Then, after the food was good and disoriented, it would finish it off, devouring it without leaving a trace.

Oh, Glob.

I hacked into my hand, so hard that my throat started to burn. I didn't have to even look to know that there was blood. I glared at the repulsive creature with a newfound hate forming inside of me. How sickening could this monstrosity possibly get?

Suddenly, it lashed out with its hand, ready to consume me with the sharp needles it called teeth. Its drooping eyes were lit up with glee, overjoyed that now it was finally going to be able to eat.

Everything that happened next felt as if it were in slow-motion, almost like time itself had actually slowed down. Something glinted brightly to my left, and I turned to look at it, not expecting what I saw.

The humanoid boy from earlier sprang out from the shadows, the dog that had followed him now three times larger. He leapt in front of me, slashing horizontally with his sword at the creature's hand. It shrieked again, the sound slightly distorted since its mouth was cut in half. Blood spurted profusely from the slice, and then, everything got a _lot _dimmer. My vision started to blur even more, and I lay back, curling my fingers into the cool soil I laid upon.

Warm, callused hands gently lifted me up, being extremely careful of the wound on my head. I was then cradled against a broad chest, my head resting comfortably against their shoulder. The hands hesitantly touched my face, almost in a disbelieving sort of way.

I forced myself to keep my eyes open, fighting with all I had in me against the haze that had taken over my vision, just so I could see this humanoid, up close and personal.

His blue eyes were the first thing to come into view, their clear and defined shade striking even in the dark. The way he looked at me would have been unnerving if I hadn't probably been looking at him the same way.

I reached up, my hand shaking, and I touched his cheek. It felt warm and soft. Just like mine. But it couldn't be. I was _the_ last human. She had told me so. I was all alone in this world without her. _But then how could his skin feel like this?_

"You," I choked out, my throat burning, "You are…human?"

His eyes widened, and all he could do was stare at me as he nodded solemnly. I blinked, my mind shutting down. My sight blurred again, and all I could think about was one thing before I went unconscious.

_There was another human._

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**A/N: **Did you like?! I hope so.

Please review, it makes writing for you guys so much funner! And yes, I know its not a word. I used it anyway, so sue me!

Actually, please don't. I don't wanna be sued :'(

Until next time,

~~~~TheFlameRose

This was updated as of 3/27/13. Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! I'm back! Are you happy? You should be.

Because with my return, I have brought you all a new chapter! Yay! And look, it's double the size of the last chapter! Amazing right?!

I would like to thank my four reviewers, (even you, anonymous) for reviewing my story. It really makes my day when I see that I've gotten one :) Hope you like this new installment to Another Human!

ONTO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I have, nor ever will own Adventure Time...*barely concealed sob of sadness*

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_"You," I choked out, my throat burning, "you are…human?"_

_His eyes widened, and all he could do was stare at me as he nodded. I blinked, my mind shutting down. My sight blurred again, and all I could think about was one thing before I went unconscious._

There was another human.

* * *

My body ached. From the very tips of my toes to the crown of my head, it ached. It was like my whole body was one big bruise. It felt like someone had sewn my eyes shut, preventing me from opening them, and that I had only eaten sand for days. I groaned at the thought, gasping as the mere action caused my throat to feel as though it were stabbed multiple times.

My eyebrows pinched together as I concentrated on trying to force my eyes open. I could just picture the stitches breaking apart as my eyes slowly slid open just a crack.

There was a bright light hanging above me, so bright that it seared my retinas, and I snapped them closed again. My arms attempted to help shield them by blocking the light. Panic started to settle in as I soon realized that my arms were tied down tightly at my sides, not allowing me any way of getting them free unless I had a torch. Couple that with the fact I was still feeling weak, and I wouldn't be able to escape.

_I was trapped._

My breathing hitched in my throat and I tried to move my legs, dismayed to find out that they too were tied down. Growing desperate, I arched my back, tugging hard on my appendages in a fruitless attempt to set myself free. My eyes flew open on their own accord and that damned bright light assaulted them again. I yelped in shock, falling back down on the freezing table as I squinted, letting my eyes adjust to the harsh lighting.

Loud footsteps echoed around the small room I was in, at least three different sets this time. One was louder than the others, emanating a clicking sound every time their foot touched the ground. My body tensed as I figured out how vulnerable I was, strapped down on this cold table, completely at the mercy of whoever the footsteps belonged to. I started struggling against the bindings with renewed vigor.

Flashes of blue, yellow, and pink hurried into the room, moving too fast for my frenzied mind to really focus on. Their footsteps got closer and stopped right beside the table I resided on. I continued to fight the bindings.

A warm, callused hand touched my cheek, caressing it softly. I shied away from the touch, finally stopping my pointless struggles. There was no point to even try. I wasn't strong enough. Not that I'd admit that to anyone.

The blue flash stood closest, with the yellow and pink flashes right beside it. Now that I had calmed down a little, and I wasn't fighting anymore, I could somewhat make out their shapes.

It was the yellow dog. The one from the forest. It was the one that was with the boy.

_The boy…_

My eyes opened completely, and I ignored the sting the bright light still gave them. I had to see him. I _needed_ to. I had to prove to myself that he was real, and that he wasn't just a hallucination created from my barely-conscious mind. So that I could know that I wasn't alone in this world.

I turned my head towards them, looking at the three creatures that stood beside the table curiously. My gaze locked onto the Pink Thing- girl?- and I scrutinized it, my nose crinkling up as its overly-sweet scent invaded my nostrils, smelling nothing like things in the forest. I thought about it before concluding what it was.

Bubblegum.

It smiled at me, somehow managing to have perfectly straight white teeth even though it was probably made of exactly what it smelled like. I just stared back at the thing. It cleared its throat, tugging on its glob of hair nervously.

"So…I see you have awoken," it stated, and then I knew it was a girl. It nasally voice was proof of it.

My face was carefully blank as I scoffed inside my head. _Captain Obvious much?_ An understanding look crossed her face, and suddenly she leaned in close, invading my personal space much to my annoyance.

"_How did you sleep?_" She asked me slowly, acting as though I was a simpleton. I narrowed my eyes dangerously and scooted as far as I could away from that too-sweet face before I did something I would regret, like spit on her.

"I'm not an idiot," I growled. My eyes began to water as I started to cough. My throat was burning with pain at every heave and my tongue was like sandpaper. Her smell wasn't helping me much either.

"Where am I?" I asked in between coughs. The pink girl frowned, a look of disgust crossing her features when I coughed right in her face. She took a few steps away from me.

"You're in the Candy Kingdom's Research Lab. And to get the formalities out of the way, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum, but I would like for you to address me simply as Princess Bubblegum," her tone was clipped as she spoke, giving her an air of superiority. I rolled my eyes, annoyed that someone could be so snobby.

A tensioned-filled moment of silence occurred, where we just stared at each other, analyzing. Then she spoke up again.

"Um, excuse me, but this is the part where you introduce yourself," she said stating the obvious yet again.

"Who I am isn't important," I snarled, testing the metal bands that held my limbs down securely. She noticed my efforts, and a small, relishing smile tugged at her lips. I glowered at her.

"You enjoying this?" I asked, still glowering. The smile vanished and she looked at me in surprise. Did she think I wouldn't catch her? What an idiot.

"Why am I banded down anyway?" I wondered out loud, examining the bands closer. There were no visible cracks or anything that would suggest it could be opened, which made me feel uneasy.

"To make sure you weren't rabid. You never know these days when some blood covered girl is brought in from the woods," she shrugged. I grit my teeth, starting to get angry since that _damn _superiority was back in her voice.

"That's enough, PB," a deep voice said from below the table. My brow furrowed in confusion as I craned my neck to look down and see who had spoken.

That dog peered back up at me, its tongue lolling out the side of its mouth. The small stub of a tail it had wagged happily when I acknowledged it. Then it looked up at the Bubblegum chick.

"She's been through a lot lately. Can't you just cut her a break?" A disapproving expression crossed the dog's face as it spoke.

My eyes widened and I gawked at the dog, speechless.

"D-Did that dog just, talk?!" I stuttered, disbelieving. The dog turned back to me, now looking annoyed.v

"I'm not just 'That Dog,' my name is Jake," he said flatly.

"My pleasure," I mumbled as I continued to stare. Never in my sixteen years of life had I ever seen a dog talk. I didn't even know how it was physically possible.

The Bubblegum-Princess-Woman put on a strained smile, making it obvious how unhappy she was with Jake. He ignored it though.

"My I ask if you can release me, you're Majesty? I can assure you I am not rabid. I would be a lot less cooperative if I was." I shrugged. Maybe she only responded to big words.

She pursed her lips, pondering over it. By the way the corners of her mouth twitched and her eyes darkened, I could tell she _really _didn't want to let me go, for what reason, I didn't know. But before she could tell me, the boy from the woods spoke up for the very first time.

"We should let her go, Princess. It's not like she'll attack us or anything. Besides, I could take her." His eyes flashed and a cocky smirk settled itself on his face. I couldn't help myself when I retorted.

"You wanna bet?" I asked, immediately regretting it since it wasn't exactly helping me with my situation.

"Yeah, I do," he shot right back, amusement turning his smirk into a grin.

The Princess scowled. It was an unflattering look that didn't suit her pretty face, at _all_. Without another word she crossed over to a keypad that was inlaid in the wall by the door and let her fingers fly, entering a complex and intricate password I had no hope of ever figuring out.

Almost immediately, the bands snapped, letting out a small hiss as if they had been air-locked. I sat up in a flash, startling everyone and making the boy reach behind him, most likely for a sword. I gasped, putting one hand to my hip and the other to my shoulder as I realized that I didn't have any of my things.

"Where is my backpack? And what about my sword?!" I exclaimed, wincing when my throat burned from the strain. When no one answered me, I scooted off the table, determined to find them. They were all I had left of Her.

My legs wobbled uncertainly, not used to having to walk. My eyes scanned the room as I clutched the table for support.

"Well, it wasn't like we could just _give_ you a weapon when we weren't sure if you were an enemy or not," the pink blob said, her nose turned up at me. _What was her problem?_

"Where are they?" I pressed, anger flaring at her rudeness. I never did like royals. They were always so snobby to people like me.

I let go of the table, taking a step towards her. My legs gave out and I fell to the floor, letting out a very unladylike grunt. Jake padded over to me, chuckling lightly under his breath. He dug his head in between my arm and my side like he was a crutch, and the next thing I knew, I was getting up.

Without using my legs.

Of course, me being me, I freaked out for a moment.

"What the He–" I cried.

I looked at Jake and saw that his legs were stretching at an unimaginable rate. I realized with a start that they were the things that were making us rise. But that wasn't possible! Jake narrowed his eyes at me.

"What?" He asked defensively. I gawked at him, wondering how he could be so casual about something so strange. Understanding lit in his eyes, and then he smiled.

"_Oooohhh_. I get it. You've never seen a magical dog before, have ya?" He grinned at me, his large eyes twinkling. I scowled, looking away. He chuckled again.

I tried to unlatch myself from him; my pride making me think didn't need anyone's help. He frowned and shook his head.

"You're not strong enough yet. Can't ya just accept that I'm helping and live with it?" I grit my teeth and sighed, defeated.

"Fine. But where are my things?" I asked again, addressing the boy this time since it was pretty clear that the Princess wasn't going to help me.

"They're upstairs. I put them somewhere safe, don't worry," he said, flashing me a smile. Bubblegum scowled again.

"Finn, don't get all cozy with her. We still have no information on her, and that means we can't trust her yet."

I shrugged, deciding that I wanted my things more than I wanted to deal with their drama. It didn't matter that it was about me.

"Can you help me walk up the stairs?" I whispered to Jake as the Princess went on and on about all the reasons why I wasn't trustworthy. "I kinda want my things back." He nodded.

"Sure. No matter what PB says, I don't think you're _that_ bad if you haven't gone all Psycho on us yet," he winked. I smirked back, liking his way of thinking.

Slowly, as to not let Bubblegum see what we were doing, we edged around them, taking the smallest baby-steps possible. As she seemed to work herself up even more, we were already almost out the door. She was using really big words that I couldn't even start to comprehend.

We rushed up the stairs; or, at least, Jake did, since my legs weren't cooperating that well. Jake helped me to a small room that was hidden behind a self-portrait of the pink blob. I thought the artist gave her curves a little too much pronunciation, but that was just me. Maybe she had wanted it that way.

Quietly, he closed the door behind us. As I turned to look at the room, my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Gold. Jewels. _Candy._ They were in piles as tall as me, and scattered all around the room. The brilliance of their shine was practically blinding, it was so strong. I had never seen so much money in my whole life.

Jake helped to lean me against a wall as he left to search for my things. I didn't mind. This was probably going to be the only time I would ever see this much money again, so I wanted to savor it while I could.

Strangely enough, I didn't feel the slightest urge to take any of the gold, or the jewels. Normally, I would have no hesitations, but right now, I didn't. In fact, I felt like if I even tried to take anything, something bad would happen. Like it was a booby-trap.

"Jake, did you find it yet?" I asked, a sneaking suspicion that something bad was going to happen making my voice waver a tiny bit.

"I found your backpack, but not the sword. Sorry," he said, bringing me the backpack. I clutched it to my chest, happiness that we were reunited almost bringing tears to my eyes. It still smelled like Her.

Opening it, I made sure all my things were still inside before slinging it over my shoulder. I could never be too sure if they had taken anything or not, especially when I didn't know these people.

Just then, the door slammed open, almost cracking the wall with its force. Standing in its doorway was a Non-Too-Happy pink princess. My heart plummeted all the way to my toes when I took in her bright red, blotchy face. This wasn't going to be good.

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**A/N: **This has been updated on 3/28/13. Hope you enjoyed :D


	4. Chapter 4

I'm baaaaaack! Did ya miss me? :D I thought so ;)

Anyway, I've brought to you FanFictioners the next installment to Another Human, and I must say, it took a while. Sorry if you had to wait too long, but I'm back, so it should be alright.

I'm starting to bring in some of the Genderbended versions of people, soo...If you don't like that, then I guess it's audios :'( Oh well. I guess that happens to the best of 'em.

Welp...ONTO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, in a million years and forty-two days, own Adventure Time. Sadly :\

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_Opening it, I made sure all my things were still inside before slinging it over my shoulder. I could never be too sure if they had taken anything or not, especially when I didn't know these people._

_Just then, the door slammed open, almost cracking the wall with its force. Standing in its doorway was a Non-Too-Happy pink princess. My heart plummeted all the way to my toes when I took in her bright red, blotchy face. This wasn't going to be good._

* * *

"WHAT IN GLOB'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE?!" She seethed, steam practically coming out of her ears.

Jake was instantly in front of me, making his body bigger so she couldn't see me. He held his hands out, trying to calm down the raging princess before she hurt herself or anybody else.

She stepped into the room, anger rolling off her in waves. Finn carefully stepped in behind her, his sword drawn. When he saw us, though, he put it away.

"Princess, it's not what it looks like. Let's just all calm down and talk this out–" Jake started, taking a small step forward, unknowingly releasing the demon.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!" She screamed, her face a bright red as her small hands formed into fists.

"HOW COULD YOU BRING THAT-THAT-THAT _MONGREL _HERE?!" She stuttered, raising her fists like she was about to smack Jake.

My eyes widened and I lurched forward, all thoughts focusing on her hands. I crossed my arms into the shape of an X in front of me, blocking all of her blows before she could even process what had happened.

She was stronger than she appeared to be, and the punches actually hurt. I winced and grit my teeth, enduring it even though I could have just as easily snapped her like a twig. I didn't think neither Jake nor Finn would have enjoyed it though.

"PB, stop it!" Finn shouted, reaching out to restrain her. As he spoke up she opened her eyes, having closed them when she started hitting me. An amateur mistake.

She blinked a couple of times before finally understanding what she had just done. I slumped, my arms numb and bruised. Jake caught me before I could hit the floor, for which I was grateful.

"Are you done yet?" I asked, glaring. She took a step back, looking down at her hands and then back at me. I nodded at Jake and he helped me to my feet.

"We were in here to get my things, which you so rudely declined to tell me their whereabouts." I held up my backpack.

"As you can see, I found my backpack. All I need now is my sword, and I'll happily be out of your hair. But what you were about to do to Jake just now," I growled, danger flashing in my eyes, "Was unacceptable. How dare you call yourself a princess."

She looked stunned by my words, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Very unflattering.

"Now, if you could _actually_ be so kind, could you please show me where my sword is?" I said sarcastically.

She nodded mutely, still unable to form words. Finn watched me with wide eyes from behind her, something I'd never seen before hidden in his baby blues. Was it…admiration? No, it couldn't have been. After all, I was just a _mongrel_, wasn't I?

"Are you okay?" Jake whispered in my ear, genuine concern on his pudgy face. I patted his head weakly and nodded. I really was. My arms were just a little noodle-y at the moment.

Bubblegum approached me cautiously, acting like I was the one who had lost their temper and attacked. Disgust made me curl my lip, but I hid it, not wanting her to get worked up into another frenzy.

She held out my sword like she couldn't wait to be rid of it. Like it was disgusting. Like it was worthless.

I yanked it out of her grip, anger pulsing through my veins. How dare she act in such a way? Why was she even considered the princess of this place when she had such an ugly personality?

I hooked the sheath back on my hip and sighed, relief filling me. I stood up straighter, more confident now that I had _her_ by my side.

"Thanks for your _delightful_ hospitality, but I have to take my leave now," I said, shooting another glare at the pink blob as I said delightful. She turned her head away, her nose in the air like the snob she was. I'd always loathed people like her.

"Do you have to go?" Jake whined, his little stub of a tail wagging hopefully. I nodded, shouldering my backpack. He deflated like a popped balloon.

On the contrast, Princess Bubblegum brightened exceptionally. She smiled what I guessed was her trademark smile used for royal events and ushered me to the door, more than happy to be rid of me.

As she shoved me past Finn, our fingers touched, and it felt like a jolt of electricity coursed through my hand. He seemed to notice it too, and his eyes locked onto mine, uncertainty and wonder swimming in their depths.

The pink blob ruined the moment by shoving me forward again, chattering away about things I didn't care about nor ever would. I grit my teeth together and stiffly sped up my pace, keeping her hands off of my back. Casting one lasting glance over my shoulder, I met his eyes again until she just had to get in the way, leaning her sickeningly sweet smelling face closer to mine.

I snarled at her, sounding close to a wild animal. The look on her face was priceless.

Turning on my heel, I stormed down the hallway, for some reason knowing exactly where to go to get out of there.

Throwing open the castle doors, I took a deep breath, gagging when I realized it was just as sweet-smelling as inside. What was this place made out of, candy?!

I quickly realized the stupidity of my own question when I actually took a minute to examine my surroundings.

Candy. It was everywhere. It was every_thing_. The houses, the signs, the ground, Hell, even the _people_ were made of candy. As they passed on their ways, they gawked at me, unsure of what to think of someone so different than them.

_It's likewise,_ I thought to myself, glaring at a woman who was loudly striped like a piece of candy corn. A frightened look crossed her face and she looked like she was about to scream in terror. I scoffed, almost annoyed on how soft these people were.

Shouldering my backpack again, I kept my head down as I walked through the crowds, hoping to just leave and never return. I'd had enough of all these artificial flavors.

Since I was so lost in my haste to get out of the sickeningly sweet kingdom, I didn't notice the young man before I had ran smack dab into him.

I stumbled back, my hand instinctively going to the sword as I looked up. My nose wrinkled when the familiar scent of the BubbleBitch invaded my nostrils. But it wasn't her.

Sea green eyes looked down at me from a pink face, widened in surprise and curiosity. Judging by his flashy outfit, I figured he must be a royal of some kind, perhaps even the BubbleBitch's boyfriend or something. It would make sense to stay in the species.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, looking at the ground, "I wasn't watching where I was going."

He blinked, seeming like he was coming out of a daze or something. Waving his hand like he was trying to wave away my apology, he smiled, somehow managing to have perfect straight teeth in his bubblegum head.

"No, I should be the one to be sorry!" He said, his voice surprisingly soothing to the ear. Nothing like that pink blob's.

"I should introduce myself. My name is Prince Gumball, and might I say that it is a pleasure to meet you," he said charmingly, bowing to try and kiss my hand. I stood frozen and unable to move as he did so. _Well, at least I was right about the royal thing._

"What might be your name be, my lady?" He asked, flashing a grin. I cocked my head to the side and looked at him, not sure on what to make of the situation.

"It's Dez," I said slowly, not telling him my full name. How could I trust someone I just met? That'd be silly.

"Dez," he murmured, committing it to memory. I shifted uncomfortably on my feet, not knowing what to do with the attention.

"If you're looking for the castle, it's just back there," I said, jacking my thumb over my shoulder, "Be careful of the BubbleBitch though. She's not as sweet as she looks."

He chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. Wait. _Crap! I probably just called his girlfriend a bitch! Think, Dez, think! Say something!_

"You know, I'd have to agree with you," he said, a smile still on his pink face.

"What?" I asked, my face as blank as my mind.

"My sister isn't always the most pleasant to be around. Too bad. You'd think having a mother as kind as ours would make her at least a little kinder to the less fortunate."

_Oh, she was his sister!_ That made me feel a little bit better about my thoughtless comment.

Then I processed the rest of his reply.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean," I demanded, my anger sparking. He held his hands up in surrender and took a step back, making it look like he meant no harm.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," he sighed, pinching the spot between his pink eyebrows.

"Then what did you mean by that?" I growled. His good looks couldn't get him out of this one.

"It's just that," he sighed, frustrated, "she doesn't like people who she thinks are less than her."

"Then how come her subjects love her, they're less than she is by her standards?" I asked, crossing my arms. His shoulders sagged and he sighed again in frustration.

"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?" He asked, giving a half-hearted half-smile. I shrugged, deciding it was too much effort to keep prying. I let it go.

"I guess. Look, it's been nice talking to you, but I have to go now. Places to go, people to see. You know how it is," I shrugged again.

I brushed past him, my head bent down so I could once again get lost in the crowd. They all looked at me oddly as I went, like they had been eavesdropping on the Prince and I's conversation. How rude of them.

He looked regretfully after me, like he had so much more to say. But after a while he sighed, shoulders slumping as he walked away, straight to the castle.

_Well, that was a strange exchange. A little awkward too, _I thought as I walked. He'd kept looking at me funny, like I was something more special than I really was. That's what made it the most awkward.

Walking out of the front gates, I gasped for breath, taking in as much uncontaminated air as I could. It was unsettling how sugary it smelled in there. The air even tasted like candy for crying out loud!

"How can people stand living in that," I grumbled, unsheathing my sword. Its dark, silver edges could split a single strand of hair if given the chance. That's why she had loved it so much.

My throat tightened and I held back the tears before they could come. She'd always told me to be strong. To never show weakness. To never back down. Those were the rules she'd made me live by. The rules she used herself.

And look where that had got her.

Looking at the sky, I was dismayed to see that the sun was already setting again. I froze and cursed. How could I forget to ask them how long I had been out? That was like, the very first question you were supposed to ask! What had happened to me?

_She isn't here anymore, that's what happened to you,_ the darker side of my mind whispered unmercifully. I winced and held back the sobs again. It was too soon. Like, a million years too soon.

She had been my everything. She was my rock, my teacher, my friend. She had been the one to raise me to be who I was today.

She had been my mother.

Thunder clapped in the distance, foreboding clouds coming quickly from the east. Lightening danced across the sky, there one second, gone the next. That was her motto.

The first droplet of rain slid coolly down the slope of my nose, dripping onto the ground when it had reached its end. It was quickly followed by a second, and then a third one. I knew if I didn't find shelter soon, I would be caught in the middle of this thunder storm.

Just _fricking _great.

I ran, sheathing my sword as I did so. I needed to find some sort of shelter before the storm hit full-force.

The rain was coming down in an increasingly fast rate, and it was only a matter of minutes before I was completely soaked. I shivered, but never slowed. If I stopped, I might let the fear get to me. And fear was a weakness.

In truth, I was terrified of thunderstorms. I know, it was a silly thing for me to be scared of, but that didn't matter. Nothing could make me have a mental breakdown faster than a thunderstorm. It made my body lock up into the fetal position as I clutched my ears, willing the sounds and sights to go away.

And since it was only another weakness, I was left to endure it alone. She would never help me. In fact, she would usually just leave me there to be scared, wet, and terrifyingly alone.

My breath quickened as another thunderclap resounded from above, indicating how close the storm itself was. My skin crawled and my eyes became desperate as I scanned my surroundings, looking for anything to take shelter in.

A small structure caught my eye, just a quaint little house that sat just inside the shadows of the forest, concealing it from the untrained eye. I bolted for it, not a single thought concerning whether the occupants inside would mind an unexpected visitor.

Fumbling with the doorknob, I walked into the unlocked house still completely drenched. My clothes were molded to my body and my long hair clung uncomfortably to my back. It wasn't a pleasant sensation.

Closing the door behind me, I nearly screamed when another thunderclap echoed into the almost empty house. The fear was creeping its way into my heart, about to take full control over me. All it took was the flash of lightening from the sky to send me over the edge.

Whimpering as I clutched my ears, my eyes were wide and unblinking as the tears came. A slightly cracked open door was directly across the room from me, and I just _knew_ that it was a closet. I stumbled over to it, my hands still clutching my head.

Slamming the door behind me, I curled up on the floor, shivering from both the cold and sheer terror. Why, of all days it had to storm, was it this one? And so soon after it happened…

The next boom of thunder shook the ground, vibrating all the way through my chest. I screamed, my eyes clinching tightly shut as I curled up even tighter. Tears poured down my cheeks as the sobs wracked my body, the fear in total control. The only way for me to get out of this state would be for the storm to pass, and it didn't sound like that it wouldn't be ending in a long time.

The sobbing slowed and grew weaker as my strength started to leave me. I really _hadn't_ fully recovered from the fight with that huge monster. The tears all but stopped as I took shaky breaths, the sounds becoming fainter as I started to fall asleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Did ya like it? It was fun to write, so I hope it was just as fun to read :)

Don't worry, she'll still get her sweet time with Finn, but you gotta give a girl options. Especially when one of these options is a certain bassist who lives in the woods, if you catch what I'm saying :D

Please review! They actually motivate me to write even more, as absurd it used to seem to me.

I'll try to put up the next chapter as soon as I can! And this one will explain everything you might be questioning about this She lady Dez is always referring to :)


	5. Chapter 5

Wow. Chapter 5 already, huh? It's amazing, at least for me.

I'm glad you people like my story, it means a lot. :)

Well, you are probably already bored with this Author's Note, so, I'll say what I always say...

ONTO THE STORY! :D

Disclaimer: I. DO. NOT. OWN. ADVENTURE TIME. OKAY? OKAY.

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

The next boom of thunder shook the ground, vibrating all the way through my chest. I screamed, my eyes clinching tightly shut as I curled up even tighter. Tears poured down my cheeks as the sobs wracked my body, the fear in total control. The only way for me to get out of this state would be for the storm to pass, and it didn't sound like that it wouldn't be ending in a long time.

The sobbing slowed and grew weaker as my strength started to leave me. I really _hadn't_ fully recovered from the fight with that horrific monster. The tears all but stopped as I took shaky breaths, the sounds becoming fainter as I started to fall asleep.

* * *

_She frowned, looking at me with disappointment evident in her blue eyes. Shaking her head, she turned away from me, leaving me to deal with this on my own._

_I reached out for her, whimpering as another thunderclap hit. Why did she always leave me alone? Didn't she know how much it hurt me? Didn't she know how terrified I was? _

_She was always so tall, so strong. A wall of strength. My rock. Always at the ready, always ready to fight. Never showing an ounce of weakness. She was absolutely perfect._

_And it was all because of me that perfection crumbled, that that perfection was destroyed. It was all my _fault_. She hadn't been at the ready. She hadn't been ready to fight. She was vulnerable, because of me. _

_They had grabbed me, and I hadn't been able to fight them off because I was so fear-ridden of the storm. And since she had turned away, she hadn't seen them coming. _

_I tried to scream, to get her attention, to tell her to run, but I couldn't. I was too slow and too scared. Too full of weakness. _

_She turned back, for what, I didn't know, but she stopped cold when she saw _Him._ He had stepped forward, holding Her sword at my throat, chuckling at the expression on her face. The one expression she had never shown me before._

_The one of fear._

_He pressed harder on the sword, drawing blood and making me whimper. She panicked, pleading with him to let me go. To take her instead. He had smiled, his face so twisted and full of malicious intent that it sent shivers through my fear-locked body._

_He told only one of his men to let me go; only to grab her and hold her just like he had me. The other one held me tighter, forcing me to keep my eyes open. To watch what his master was going to do to her._

_I watched in slow-motion as he slashed with Her sword, right across her chest. I screamed, horror washing out the fear as she collapsed, red staining her t-shirt. I struggled against the man, but he only held me tighter. _

_I wriggled one arm free, and reached out for her, tears falling from my eyes. The storm still raged above us, but I couldn't pay attention to it. All I could focus on was her crumpled form and watch as the life slowly faded from her eyes._

_"MOMMY!"_

I sat straight up, smashing my head with someone else.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, rubbing my forehead in annoyance.

Blinking the blurriness of sleep out of my eyes, I quickly realized I was in a foreign place, with a foreign person who looked just as annoyed as I was, if not more.

"Would you like to explain why you were sleeping in my closet?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow up.

My forehead creased as I tried to remember. Why had I slept in his closet? Wait. Why was I even here? What had compelled me to even consider coming to this place? Was I tricked?

No, I wasn't. I came in by my own will, to escape the rain. No, it was more than that.

I came here to escape the memory.

It hadn't just been my fear of thunderstorms that forced me to run, oh no. It had also been the fear of what a thunderstorm held, of what it could take away in just an instant.

_Mommy…_

"Hello? Are you alright in there?" The boy asked confusion marring his pale face. I shook my head, clearing it.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," I said, more confident than I really felt at the moment. "Sorry about falling asleep in your closet. I really didn't mean to," I said sincerely, getting up.

It seemed like the boy had taken me out of the closet and lain me on a very uncomfortable red couch. I stretched, feeling better instantly when my back popped. I caught his eyes looking at the spot where my shirt had ridden up, and so I pulled it down, my eyes narrowed.

He held up his hands just like that Prince had done yesterday, except a smirk played on his face instead of innocence.

Looking him over, I figured he wasn't that much of a threat. He wore a red plaid, button-up t-shirt and jeans, not exactly the most menacing outfit, but I wasn't judging. His mussed up black hair was untrimmed, like he didn't care about it. His eyes were a dark red, like that of rubies.

Then my eyes landed on two distinct little holes in the side of his neck.

"Like what you see?" He smirked, crossing his arms as he floated upwards.

"So you're a vampire, huh?" I countered, ignoring his comment. His face darkened ever so slightly, and he uncrossed his arms.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" He said as he narrowed his eyes.

"I just felt like asking, that's all," I shrugged, not really caring what he was.

"Oh," he mumbled, scrutinizing me in confusion. I walked past him, looking around his house in curiosity. It was pretty plain for a vampire's lair. There wasn't even a spider web in sight.

I went to shoulder my backpack, but was alarmed to discover it was gone, along with my sword.

"What's up with people taking my stuff when I sleep?!" I grumbled in exasperation. "It's not like I wake up and kill everything in sight…"

"Uh, what was that?" He asked, swooping over to me. He smirked as he got all up in my personal space, his red eyes flashing mischievously.

"You heard me, Vampire boy," I snarled, getting just as close to his personal space. I even went as far as poking him in the chest, which seemed to surprise him and force him backwards. "Where are my things?"

His wicked grin made his fangs glint in the moonlight, but I didn't back down. I wanted my things, _and since everyone thought it was alright to just _take_ them_, backing down was not a possibility.

"You want your things back?" He asked, floating backwards. I scoffed; of course I wanted them back. It was pretty obvious. Using that logic, I figured it meant he was just toying with me.

Boys.

"Yes, I want them back," I grit out between clenched teeth. His grin widened and he swooped closer again.

"Then fight me for them," he whispered in my ear, his fangs grazing the lobe. I shivered, causing him to chuckle.

"What am I supposed to fight you with? I don't have my sword," I said, pointing out the obvious.

"Whatever you can find," he said, floating out of my reach. I crossed my arms, thinking.

"Here?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course not," he rolled his eyes, "It'll be outside, you idiot." I prickled at his tone.

"Then let's get this over with, shall we?" I growled, my temper flaring. Amusement danced in his eyes as he led the way out.

The grass was still damp from the storm as we stepped out of his house, and all I could feel was relief that it was over. The moon was held high in the sky, and I considered asking what time it was before dismissing the idea. Now wasn't the time to ask.

Once we were out of the woods and into the clearing, he flew up high, turning his face up to the moon as if he were drinking it in.

One of the many lessons She had taught me popped into my head, and suddenly I was cursing myself once again in stupidity.

_Remember, Desdemona, whenever you find yourself hunting a vampire, or even fighting one, make sure it isn't in the open where it's directly in the path of moonlight. The moon amplifies its strength and makes it that much harder to kill._

Why do I only remember things after I need them?

The vampire hissed above me, power practically radiating from him like he was the sun. I cursed, looking around for anything to defend myself with. Of course, now it was too late, since he had taken me out of the woods.

As he looked down at me, his red eyes glowed, a malicious grin on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him.

Hey, I know it was childish, but I was still angry at myself for being so stupid.

He blinked, taken aback by my antic, and I used that time to search for something, anything, to use as a weapon. But, just like before, there was nothing. That left only my fists and legs.

How wonderful.

"Enough playing games. It's time to show me what you've got," he said, slowly morphing into some large, bat-like creature with fangs the size of my body. He cackled in glee and dove down towards me, his claws ready to shred.

I ran directly at him, waiting until the last possible second before sliding out of his reach. Whipping around as fast as I could, I jumped, catching hold of his leg as he ascended up again.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" He exclaimed, trying to fling me off unsuccessfully.

I dug my nails into his leg, ignoring his shout in protest as I climbed up onto his back. He tried to grab me, but I always managed to be just out of his reach, like that one spot on your back you want so badly to itch, but can't.

Just as I neared his neck, he transformed again, returning to his humanoid form. He easily grabbed me off of his back and dove down towards the ground, shoving me into the grass and dirt when he reached it.

He straddled me, using his knees to pin down my arms. He grinned like that of a crazy person, baring his fangs with a hiss. The whites of his eyes turned black as he bent down, going for my throat. Panicking, I did something that in a better state of mind, I would have never done.

I bit his cheek.

He pulled away from me abruptly, his hand going to his cheek in shock. Just the tiniest sliver of blood trickled out, something I thought vampires were incapable of. He had loosened his hold on me for a fraction of a second, and that was all I needed.

Bucking, I threw him off and scrambled to my feet, already bracing myself for his next attack.

"You…bit me…" He said in wonder, hand not leaving his face just as his eyes never left mine. Not knowing what else to do, I shrugged.

He slowly drifted over to me, a small smile playing on his pale lips. Pulling his hand away from his face, he glanced at it, shocked to see that it had blood on it. He looked back at me, a strange look creeping onto his features.

"I thought for sure you were faerie or something like that. You certainly got the looks for it. But how could you bite me? Only another vampire can pierce a vampire's flesh," he mused, studying me, "And yet, you don't have any bite marks."

I blinked, now totally confused. What was he rambling about?

"Uh, excuse me? First of all, I'm no faerie. Those things are _way_ too stupid for my tastes. And second of all, I'm not a vampire either. I'm a human," I explained, crossing my arms defensively. His eyes brightened and suddenly he was all up in my grill again, his non-bloody hand gently cupping my cheek.

"You're human?" He breathed, searching my eyes for any deception. I slapped his hand away and backed up, uncomfortable again.

"Yeah, I'm human. Why is this so important to you?" My question fell on deaf ears as he smiled and turned away, muttering things to himself. Maybe he was actually a lunatic under all his brooding-ly good looks. I shook my head. Did I think every boy I met was attractive?

"So does this mean the fight's over? 'Cause I kinda want my things back now, if you don't mind…" I prodded, hoping he would just hand them over so I could leave.

_I'm always leaving…Never staying long enough to get attached…_

"No, it's not over," he said, his voice suddenly an octave lower than before. "It was only a mere distraction. Now it's time for the _real_ show."

My head snapped into his direction in surprise, only to see his eyes glowing even brighter than before. He looked at me like a predator would to prey.

Yay.

I almost didn't react in time when he leapt for me, but luckily enough my reflexes were top-notch thanks to Her. Diving to the left, I tucked and rolled, coming up on one knee.

But he was already there, his hand turning into the claws he had when he was in his giant bat form. I backed up just far enough that his claws only barely scraped the tip of my nose. _That was too close for comfort._

I jumped to my feet and back-pedaled as fast as I could without falling, hoping that maybe I could make it into the woods and out of the direct moonlight. But he anticipated my moves.

He disappeared for a split-second and reappeared right behind me, wrapping his arms around me in what could have been an embrace if not for the pressure he was putting on my internal organs. He tilted my head to the side and bared his fangs, a hungry look in his eyes.

I elbowed him in the gut, springing away before he could grab me again. Kicking up, I nailed him in the jaw, making his fangs pierce his own lip. He hissed in pain and stumbled back, surprised anger replacing the hunger in his eyes. I stuck my tongue out again, quickly spinning around to run away.

Now that I was running full-speed, I actually had a chance of making it to the woods, if he didn't manage to catch up to me and attack from behind, that is.

Yeah, it wasn't a very good chance, but screw it. I didn't have many options since I had no weapon.

I could hear his soft breathing as he caught up, coming up beside me with a smirk on his face. Smiling sweetly in return, I kicked out; tripping him and making him eat dirt. I chuckled, but hurried into the shelter of the woods before he could levitate over to me or something.

I weaved in and out through the trees, knowing exactly how to make sure I didn't trip over any roots or fallen branches from all the years spent living in a forest. It would have been fun if I hadn't heard the quiet cursing of a certain pissed-off vampire.

Suddenly, my face collided with fur, and I was bounced back into a tree. Hard. I groaned, rubbing the back of my head. At least I wasn't bleeding.

I looked up, wondering what it was that forced me back with so much force.

Large, tear-filled eyes stared down at me from a pudgy, yellow face. He whimpered and sniffled, being _very_ overdramatic. I smiled, standing up.

"Hey, Jake."

That was all it took for the waterworks to go into overdrive. He blubbered and shrunk down from his large size into the size of a small puppy. He leapt into my arms and cuddled into me, happiness bubbling over.

I was over-whelmed. Never in my life had anyone been so glad to see me.

"Jake? Where'd you run off to?" Finn asked, emerging from behind a rather large tree. He stopped short when he caught sight of us.

For some strange reason, I felt something flutter in my chest. Heat rushed up to my face as I caught sight of his adventure-worn face and bright blue eyes. He looked down at the cuddled up Jake in my arms and let out a weary chuckle.

"Having fun?" He asked Jake.

"Yup!" Jake nodded, curling as close as he could to me. I smirked, rolling my eyes at his behavior.

This short (if slightly awkward) peaceful moment was shattered when the vampire came barreling into the scene, his eyes scanning the area before landing on me. He quirked an eyebrow when he saw the dog in my arms.

"Did I miss something?" He asked, suddenly back to the boy I met in the house. Did_ I_ miss something?

Finn's face grew cold as he glared at the vampire boy.

"Marshall Lee," he said evenly, his sword unsheathed. Marshall turned his gaze away from me for a moment before narrowing them at Finn.

"Finn the Human," he responded just as evenly.

Almost like they were thinking the same thing, both sets of eyes flashed to me. Turning back to each other, they glared, realization dawning on both of their faces.

Jake finally understood what was going to go down and leapt from my arms, growing midair so that he was able to stop both of them from doing whatever it was they were going to do.

I felt clueless as I watched all these exchanges happen. I'd been here the whole time. What had I missed? What was causing their egos to flare and hatred to burn? Surely, it couldn't have been that I was holding Jake, could it? No, that'd be stupid.

But what could it have been?

* * *

**A/N: **Well, did you like it? I hope so :)

As always, I love getting reviews now that I know the amazingsuperfantasticwonderf ulmagnificentsupercalifragil isticexpialidocious feeling they give me :)

Sooooooooo...please review!

This was modified on 3/28/13. Hope you liked :D


	6. Chapter 6

Heya guys! It's been a while! I'm sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I got sick and was asleep for most of my days and nights this week.

But, I didn't want to leave you guys hanging, so I came up with this little chappie just for you! Hope it's alright until I'm all better again :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time, Pendleton Ward does, that mastermind ;)

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_I felt clueless as I watched all these exchanges happen. I'd been here the whole time. What had I missed? What was causing their egos to flare and hatred to burn? Surely, it couldn't have been that I was holding Jake, could it? No, that'd be stupid._

_But what could it have been?_

* * *

They continued glaring daggers at each other, Marshall Lee going as far as baring his fangs at Finn. His eyes had gone all demonic, and it made his complexion seem that much paler in the moonlight. Finn held his sword at the ready, glaring just as much at Marshall.

I stood up and walked over to stand with Jake, blocking them off from each other. He faced Finn and tried to calm him down while I was forced to deal with the lovely Vampire Boy. Yay for me.

"Whatever's going on needs to stop, alright?" I said, staring the vampire down. "All this testosterone in the air is making me choke."

He cocked his head to the side and floated closer, lightly placing his hand on my cheek. Leaning in close, he whispered in my ear, knowing it would make me shiver.

"Oh really? Then let's go. You don't need Blondie over there or the mutt anyways." He tugged my wrists, trying to get me to go with him. He begged me with his eyes, making them return to their ruby-like state.

"_Excuse_ me? I think the word 'mutt' was a little uncalled for!" Jake said, turning towards us. Finn rounded Jake's large body, grabbing Marshall by the shoulder and yanking him away from me.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?!" Marshall Lee shouted, swatting away Finn's hand.

"You need to stay away from her, Vampire Boy. Otherwise there's going to be trouble," Finn glared, gripping his sword's hilt to show what 'trouble' meant.

"I don't think she wants me to stay away from her," he turned to me, "Do you?" He asked, trailing a finger down my cheek and causing Finn to grip his sword even tighter. I blinked, still trying to figure out a motive for their hatred for each other.

"I guess not," I shrugged, "I don't really know you that well yet. You either, Finn," I said, gesturing to him. Marshall Lee looked at Finn triumphantly while Finn glared at the ground. I took a step back and looked behind me at Jake.

"What's with these two?" I whispered, hoping they couldn't hear me.

"It's always been like this between these two, ever since they first met."

"Really?" He nodded.

"Yeah. They hate sharing things, and couple that with the fact that Finn's considered the good guy and Marshall's considered the bad guy. That would cause some hate, don't you think?" He rolled his eyes like it was obvious.

Huh. I hadn't even considered that as a possibility. Was I really that oblivious?

"What do you mean by sharing things?" I asked, realizing he said that too. He gave me an incredulous look and shook his head.

"You are so hopeless," he muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Marsh?" I called, getting his attention easily.

"Yeess?" He drew out, smirking as he came closer to me.

"Since I'm pretty sure the fight's over with, can you give me back my things? I need to go… " I trailed off when Finn's head snapped up, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Fight? What fight?" He asked, stepping defensively closer to me. Marshall rolled his eyes and flew up above Finn's head

"Don't get your panties in a wad, Blondie. It wasn't anything _that _serious-" Finn reached up and yanked Marshall Lee down, coming face-to-face with him. He started muttering things to him, but his voice was so low I couldn't understand him.

"Finn, what are you doing?!" Jake exclaimed and rushed over, trying to pull them apart. Finn refused to even acknowledge him as he continued muttering to Marshall Lee, whose eyes were wide from all the things he was saying.

"Guys, stop!" I shouted, loud enough to get both of their attentions. I rushed over and pried Finn's hands off Marshall Lee.

"Finn, what's gotten into you? I agreed to fight him so that I could get my things back. He didn't look that strong, so I thought 'Why not?'"

"Hey!" Marshall said indignantly, crossing his arms. I ignored him.

"I've fought things all my life, so I didn't think anything of just one more fight. You shouldn't get so worked up over it," I chuckled and playfully hit his arm, hoping he would calm down.

It worked, and he cracked a small smile. Jake let his breath out in a _whoosh _and shrank down to his normal size, relieved I had stopped them before the situation got too out of hand.

"So you're okay?" He asked doubtfully. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine," I said reassuringly. Marshall Lee snorted from somewhere in the treetops.

"Well, we have to go now. See ya later, Blondie," Marshall said as he swooped down and picked me up, bridal style. He gave a mock salute and flew off before Finn could argue.

I couldn't help but go ridged in his arms as we flew up high in the night sky. No one had ever held me this close except for Her, and even then it wasn't as tenderly as he was holding me. Glancing up at his face, I saw that he was looking down at me, that hunger from before coming back into his ruby red eyes.

"Do you have to be so difficult with Finn?" I asked in annoyance, my eyes narrowing. He grinned, his fangs glinting in the lighting.

"I have to be. Bad guys don't like Good guys. That's how every story goes, you know."

"Hey, wanna try something?" He asked suddenly, changing the subject completely.

"What is it?" I asked cautiously, crossing my arms over my chest as a way to comfort myself. He only grinned in response, and so abruptly that I couldn't even understand what was happening, he was gone, and I was free-falling through the air and plummeting towards the ground at an increasingly fast rate.

Rather than scream and freak out, I kept my calm and curled up into a ball, wrapping my arms protectively around my head. No point and trying to prevent the inevitable.

Just as I was cursing the day Marshall Lee was ever created, arms looped around me, cradling me to a cold chest. _Speak of the devil…_

His smile was large and his eyes twinkled with laughter, which only made me scowl. How dare he pull a stunt like that on me?! I swatted his chest angrily.

"Why in Glob's name did you do that?!" I yelled, my hands balled into fists. He chuckled and played with a lock of my hair.

"I felt like it," he shrugged, finally setting me down in front of his house.

"What kind of reason is that?!" He rolled his eyes and walked inside.

"My kind of reason."

Muttering curses under my breath, I followed him inside.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I know it was pretty sucky. But that's what happens when you're sicker than a dog for a week.

Yup.

So, as always, please review!

And yes, I know amazingsuperfantasticwonderf ulmagnificentsupercalifragil isticexpialidocious isn't really a feeling The Midget Warrior :P

This was updated as of 3/28/13. Yay! :D


	7. Chapter 7

HEY GUYS! I'M ALL BETTER NOW :D THANKS FOR ALL THE WELL WISHES, IT'S AWESOME THAT PEOPLE CARE :*)

NOW, IT IS YOUR GUYS' DECISION WHETHER OR NOT YOU THINK I AM YELLING AT YOU, OR WHISPERING. HAVE FUN!

onto the story...

Disclaimer: I still do not own Adventure Time. Nothing has changed in the past month, nor will it ever. Deal with it.

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_"What kind of reason is that?!" He rolled his eyes and walked inside._

_"My kind of reason."_

_Muttering curses under my breath, I followed him inside._

* * *

He was floating idly in the air when I walked in, my backpack and sheath in his pale hands. I stepped closer and took them, strapping the sheath back on my hip and slinging the backpack over my shoulder. I closed my eyes and sighed in relief as I felt the cool hilt of Her sword. It made it feel like She was there with me. It was a comforting feeling.

His cool breath fanned out across my face, smelling distinctly of strawberries. I reopened my eyes to see that he'd somehow managed to pin me to the wall, blocking off escape with his arms. Then I realized just how close he was to me.

His face was mere centimeters from mine, his tall, lanky body towering over my own. His eyes searched mine, looking for something in particular. But my face was blank. I had never been in a situation like this before. I'd never dealt with boys, or their hormones, without Her to beat them to a pulp if they so much as looked at me wrong.

So, me being the defensive and short-tempered human I was, I decided I didn't really feel like being this close to him. At all. In fact, it was a little creepy considering I'd only met him a couple hours ago.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed him away. He watched me curiously as I glared at him, my teeth bared like he would usually do to me.

"Back off, Marshall. We just met for Glob's sake!" He gave me a devil-may-care smile and reached for me again anyways.

Like lightening, my hand snapped out, gripping his wrist tightly to stop him. A faint twitch under my fingers caused my brow to quirk up in surprise. Marshall Lee's eyes widened and he snatched his arm from me, disappearing and reappearing on the farthest side of the room. But it was already too late; I knew exactly what it was I felt.

A heartbeat.

But…His heart had stopped a long time ago, when he became a vampire. Him having a heartbeat _wasn't possible_.

"Marsh-"

"Go. NOW," he growled, letting his bangs fall over his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, somehow managing to turn his already pale knuckles even whiter, if that were possible.

Not wanting to see what would happen if I pressed my luck and stayed, I turned away, shouldering my backpack out of habit. Looking back behind me, I knew he was watching me from the safety of his bangs, so I gave him a little wave as goodbye. It was the best I could do.

Feeling the cool night air on my body was refreshing, and I drank it in. It felt pure, something my bloodied hands could never be again. I'd killed too many creatures to ever be considered pure ever again. Sure, it was usually to save someone else, but that didn't really justify it much.

I cast one last look back at his house before walking away; somehow knowing I would return there again. He seemed too much of a major character in my story to just write him off like some other people.

Sticking to the outskirts of the forest, I made my way north, thinking that going this direction was as good as any other. I unsheathed my sword and pressed the flat of it to my face, letting the cool surface bring back memories. She had really loved this sword. It had been Her favorite, and I could see why.

Something large stood off in the distance, tall and proud, but immobile. Going into a defensive position, I held the sword in front of me and edged closer, trying to distinguish what it was before it could see me.

My caution was for nothing when I realized it was only a huge tree house. Things were piled around its base, and judging from the recent footprints in the soft dirt leading up to the door, it was inhabited.

I squatted down and tried to figure out what the footprints were from. There were two sets, one larger than the other, but completely different. One was canine. The other…

I stood back up and brushed the dirt off of my hands. Sneaking over, I peered in the small window in the door, hoping whomever was in there wouldn't see me yet.

Finn and Jake sat on the floor together, flat on their bellies as they pushed buttons on some strange piece of plastic. Their eyes were glued to a small box-like thing as lights flashed from it. My brow furrowed. What was that thing? I'd never seen anything like it before.

Long black hair was the first thing that showed before she entered from a room to the right. Her fangs and pale complexion wouldn't have seemed that out of place if she hadn't have had two puncture marks on the side of her neck. Instantly, I knew what she was. How many vampires were in this place? Weren't they supposed to be lurking around in the Nightosphere? I backed away from the door.

_Having to deal with one vampire was troubling enough, why did I have to deal with two?_

Sitting down, I figured that this was as good as any place to stop. I _kinda_ knew the people, they kinda knew me, so in my mind, that was good enough. Besides, something about how that vampire had wriggled her way in between Finn and Jake made something inside me burn, and I thought I should probably just stay incase something were to happen.

Opening my backpack, I looked at the rations I had packed before my trek into the woods the other day, after She'd…

Anyway, I quickly discovered just how little food I had, and how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten in what, two, three days? She had told me never to go without food for that long, but I couldn't bring myself to eat after She had…

Gritting my teeth to try and stop the tears before they came, I pulled some jerky out of its cloth and chewed on it, hoping that it would staunch the hunger pains until I got some more.

Once I had finished, I took the Enchiridion out and opened it to my last page. She had told me I needed to study this to be a good adventurer. "It will make your mind stronger," She had said. So I'd done as She requested. I was half-way through the book, but I had so much more to learn.

Of course, I skimmed some parts in favor of fighting techniques, but that was a given. I wasn't a book nerd, nor did I like reading, but something about this old book changed that. It was interesting, and I could actually use the information it gave me.

"Okay, see ya later guys!" The vampire girl shouted over her shoulder as she stepped out of the door. She paused briefly in the threshold, her nose crinkling as she sniffed. Like a dog, she turned her nose completely to the air, taking a big whiff. Her face twisted into a snarl as she whipped her head in my direction.

Her eyes narrowed and she hissed, slowly creeping her way closer to me. Territorial behavior, if I was to be mistaken.

I jumped to my feet, unsheathing my sword and holding it in front of me dangerously, _daring _her to try something. She hissed in anger and charged me, slamming me against the side of the tree with her superhuman strength. My sword clattered uselessly to the ground. Her eyes had turned demon-like in quality, intimidating and fierce.

I socked her in the nose, landing a second blow to her gut a second later. Her breath left her in a _whoosh_ and she doubled over, wheezing. Some vampire she was.

She snarled and straightened back up, tackling me to the ground this time. She grabbed at my long hair, using it as a way to keep me pinned down. _Damn, I knew I should have cut it! She was always scolding me that I should…_

"What in Glob's name is going on out here?!" A familiar masculine voice from above us yelled. The vampire's eyes never left mine as she growled back a reply.

"Taking care of some trash. You shouldn't worry about it, Finn. It'll be over soon."

"Screw you," I spat, head butting her as hard as I was able. Cursing, she sat back, trying to put her nose back in place.

My head spinning, I scrambled out from under her, backing towards my things so I could just turn tail and run. The vampire's hair floated straight in the air as her anger basically doubled, radiating itself from her. She wiped my spit from her face and got up, her hands reaching out as if to strangle me.

Finn intercepted, throwing his arms out wide to stop the crazed vampire. She looked at him incredulously, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Marceline, just calm down! Tell me what the Glob's going on here!"

Jake trotted over to my side, his eyes huge. He looked me over, as if to search for any injuries she caused me. I waved away his concern and collected my things. Obviously, it _hadn't _been a good idea to stop here.

I glanced over at Finn and the vampire girl, watching as she whisper-yelled at him and he just calmly responded back. That burning sensation crept up in my chest again, but I still couldn't place a name.

Jake put his paw on my arm, a hopeful look in his eye. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I was wondering…Would you like to, well…Come inside? Finn can handle Marceline, if you were worried about that."

He left me no time to argue and instead dragged me towards the door. Sighing, I scooped up my things and went with it. I felt like I could trust this yellow dog, and trust was hard to come by from me. Madly rubbing Jake's head, I walked inside, him right on my heels.

Jake rushed over to the kitchen, and by the clanging noises I heard, it seemed like he was going to cook something. My stomach growled approvingly at the idea.

It took about thirty seconds for my hands started twitching for something to do. Looking around, I tried to find something to occupy them. My eyes landed on that plastic contraption they had been staring at before, and curiosity took hold of me.

I tip-toed over to it and gingerly picked it up, unsure what it was going to do. Walking over to a wall, I sat down on the floor, crossing my legs as I poked and shook it. I held it upside-down and peered closer at the screen, wondering what they had seen that made them stare at it for so long. Just then, the screen flashed, and a simple little face appeared.

I yelped, quickly throwing it away from me as I stood up. It hit the opposite wall with a _clang, _alerting Jake who was still in the kitchen. He came running out just as Finn entered from the front door, Marceline brooding in his wake. I pressed myself against the wall and drew my sword, using it to keep that _thing_ from getting any closer.

Finn hurried over and stood in front of me, blocking me from the plastic creature. He put his hand on my sword, wincing when it cut him. Still, he managed to push it away enough so that it wouldn't do any damage. I looked at him wordlessly, confusion and anger finding their way onto my face.

"It's okay!" He said as he tried to calm me. "BMO isn't a threat."

"Bee-Moe?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

Jake walked over to us with the creature in his arms. I jumped back and tried to reposition my sword, but Finn held firm. Marceline chuckled cruelly from the doorway.

"He won't hurt you," Jake said, nodding as if that would reassure me. The creature looked over at me curiously, an innocent look on its screen.

"What's wrong with that lady?" It said as it pointed at me. Its voice was a glitchy monotone. Jake shook his head at it.

"Nothin', BMO. You just scared her is all." I put my sword away and stared at it uncertainly. Finn laughed.

"Really, it's fine. He's our videogame system."

"Videogame system?" Now it was Finn's turn to look at me in disbelief.

"You've never seen a videogame system before?"

"No…Should I have?" I started thinking if it was one of the things She had told me were absolutely necessary for me to know.

Nope.

Jake set BMO down and let it walk over to me. It raised its arms up as if it wanted me to pick it up. Gulping, I bent down and obliged.

"Hello…Bee-Moe," I said hesitantly. It smiled and touched my hair, wrapping it around its tiny hand.

"Hello, lady!" It cheerily answered back. It beamed at me, and it made me a little uncomfortable.

"It's Dez," I murmured, really trying to scrutinize this piece of machinery. Marceline floated closer, a bored expression on her face.

"Well then, _Dez,_ I think it's time you left," she said, smiling maliciously. "It's obvious your savage mind can't comprehend_ our_ technology, so you shouldn't even try." She rolled her eyes.

"Marceline!" Jake shouted, looking as though it was him she had just offended. I merely stared at her, refusing to break eye contact. Her eyes were just as red as Marshall Lee's.

"I've been told worse," I shrugged, acting as if my blood wasn't boiling, and that I didn't want to slice her in half with my sword.

Smiling once more at the BMO-thing, I set it down, watching as it waddled back over where I had first picked it up.

"You can think whatever you like of me, Marceline," I said, turning to look at her, "That's your own choice. But don't say things you don't know. You don't know me. You don't know what Hell I've been through. So, you shouldn't act like you do." I turned to Finn.

"Is it alright if I stay here until morning? I don't really have anywhere else to go." He nodded mutely, his blue eyes searching mine. I winked charmingly at him. "Thanks!"

Marceline stared at me, shock written all over her face. And then she cracked into a smile.

"You're all right," she chuckled, flying over to me. "Nobody's ever stood their ground against me before." She threw her arm over my shoulders.

"Can I crash here too, Finny Boy? I wanna hang with this chick for a little while if you don't mind," she smirked at him, and I couldn't help but catch the darkening of her eyes when she said 'hang.'

"Um, sure, I guess…" He rubbed the back of his head, confused. _You and me both, Finn._

"Well, we gotta go to bed. Come on, Finn," Jake said, nudging Finn towards a hole in the tree. He nodded absently, still looking at me. Jake rolled his eyes and grabbed him from under his arms.

He dragged him all the way to the hole and waved at us one last time as he stretched his legs up the hole. _I wonder how long he could stretch his body before he couldn't stretch it anymore…_

"Okay then. I'm gonna go get some strawberries, you want anything?" She asked as she started floating towards the kitchen. I shook my head as a negative, but my stomach argued differently. She laughed and rolled her eyes as she floated into the kitchen.

"What a weird girl…" I muttered, walking over to BMO. He smiled at me like a child and swung his legs back and forth.

"She's alright," he said, pressing his own buttons. "She just isn't used to expressing herself around pretty girls."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my brow furrowing. Just then, Marceline sauntered over from the kitchen, a big bowl of strawberries in her hands.

"Want one?" She asked, holding the bowl out to me. My stomach answered for me, sounding like that of a dying animal. Sheepishly, I took one, nibbling quietly on it. She winked at me, and I didn't like how intimate it seemed.

She took one out and bit her fangs into it, sucking out all the red. She tossed me the remaining white strawberry, and since I was raised to not look a gift horse in the mouth, it was gone within seconds. When the only food you get is the food you kill, you aren't that picky.

We ate in silence like this for what felt like forever, but it was probably only about ten minutes. I kept catching her staring at me, and it was making me uneasy. I wished Finn or Jake would come back down, at least to get me out of this situation.

She let out a burp as she set the bowl down. Sitting down, she kicked her feet up on the coffee table, nearly knocking BMO onto the floor. She started to lean in closer to me, her pale arms snaking their way around my waist. My brow furrowed and I looked at her in bewilderment, wondering the heck she thought she was doing. She smiled suggestively at me with a wink, which didn't help my confusion any. She pulled me close, tucking herself against my body.

Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion as she leaned in and kissed me.

* * *

**A/N: **Dun Dun DUNNNN! Cliffhanger! AW SHNAP!

I've been trying my hardest to keep up with both High School and my writing addiction, but you all know how that is. I think. I'm not really sure. I mean, for all I know, you're all like, dogs or something that managed to access a computer... O.O

Anyways, reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for your time! I'll update soon! :D

Thanks ParagonFlynn for your suggestion! It does actually fit her character better :)

This chapter was revised as of 3/29/13


	8. Chapter 8

Wazzup my homies?! Are ya'll chillin out, maxin', relaxin' all cool? Playin' B-ball outside of the school?

Too much? :P Oh well. I get that a lot.

Welp, I busted my ass to get this chapter done, so I hope you enjoy :)

Oh, and Zelda, this isn't a sequel to anything. I just wanted to throw some people into the mix, and who doesn't like that one sexy vampire man ;P

ONTO THE STORY!

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO THE LAST CHAPTER**

_She let out a burp as she set the bowl down. Sitting down, she kicked her feet up on the coffee table, nearly knocking BMO onto the floor. She started to lean in closer to me, her pale arms snaking their way around my waist. My brow furrowed and I looked at her in bewilderment, wondering the heck she thought she was doing. She smiled suggestively at me with a wink, which didn't help my confusion any. She pulled me close, tucking herself against my body._

_Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion as she leaned in and kissed me._

* * *

She tilted her head to the side to try and deepen the kiss, but all I could feel was shock and horror. Reacting as fast as I possibly could to end it; I shoved her away and stood up, hurriedly distancing myself from her. Her face was flushed a faint pink and her pupils were dilated. I cringed as I realized that she had been getting turned on by the kiss.

"Why'd ya stop?" She asked lazily, her eyes half-shut. "I thought it was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself."

"You-You-You kissed me!" I stuttered out, my face going a deep red. She shrugged and leaned back, kicking her feet up on the table again.

"Yeah, so? I thought you wanted me to."

I gawked at her, my jaw practically hitting the floor in my surprise. When had I ever said I wanted her to kiss me?! Not in one single moment since I met her, did I feel any notion of wanting to kiss her!

"Okay, maybe I was the one who wanted to," she shrugged again. "You're pretty hot, I'm pretty hot. I thought we could be pretty hot together," she said, winking. I shook my head, whether in denial or to clear it, I didn't know.

"Look, Marceline. I'm sorry, but I don't see you that way." She blinked, sitting back up.

"What?"

"I'm not attracted to you, alright?" I sighed, rubbing my temples. Why did I have to deal with stuff like this? I'd rather be outside fighting some giants than explain to her why I didn't like her like that.

"What, is it my hair or something?" She asked, pulling a chunk of it in front of her. "I can easily cut it, if that's your prob." I ground my teeth in frustration.

"No. It's not your hair. I'm just not into girls!" Her eyebrows shot up as she looked at me in a new light.

"Really?" She scratched the back of her head. "Wow, you really fooled me."

"_Excuse _me?" I exclaimed, offended.

"What?" She rolled her eyes. "What straight girl is as manly as you?"

"MANLY?!" I shouted, now pissed.

"Oh calm down," she laughed, floating closer, "I was just messin' with ya." She tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I slapped her hand.

"Ow!" She growled, retracting it angrily.

"I don't like you at _all _in that way, Marceline," I stated, my voice ice cold. "If anything, we could be friends, but that's it. I'm sorry."

"Oh…" Her eyes fell to the ground, seeming like she was sad. But I saw her lips twist into a small smile.

"Sigh. Oh well, another one lost. Maybe I'm too good-looking for my own good," she put her hand to her forehead theatrically. I scoffed and shook my head. She flashed me a wicked grin and meandered towards the door, flicking her ridiculously long hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I have to fly. You know, places to haunt, people to bite." She winked at me, acting all tough.

I waved, but stayed silent. Something told me to really watch her, to see what was off. What was wrong. Was it that her smile was a little tight? Or that her eyes were slightly watery, like she was on the brink of tears?

As she turned, I caught the look of sadness that washed over her face in one giant wave, making it crumple. She opened the door calmly and exited, her body language not giving the slightest hint that she was about to cry.

_Can vampires cry?_ I wondered aimlessly as I sat down on the couch. I was pretty sure She had told me that the glands that controlled the tear ducts dried up as soon as they became a vampire, but I wasn't certain. Vampires were full of surprises lately.

I lay down on the couch, my arms behind my head. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep soon, since all it would do would bring back memories from _that night. _Something I wanted so badly to forget. I wanted to forget the stench that had reeked from the men as they held me back. I wanted to forget the weakness and fear I had felt. I wanted to forget the look on Jacqueline's face as the sword cut deep into her chest, ending her life.

I faced BMO, who had been silently watching the exchange between Marceline and me. He smiled at me kindly and handed me a piece of plastic that had three buttons and a knob on it.

"It will help you get your mind off things," he said, gesturing to the thing in my hands. "It's called a 'controller,' and you use it to play videogames!"

"Oh…" I mumbled, sitting back up.

"Press the red button, and you'll start playing!" He said excitedly. I nodded and looked at the controller, clicking the one he told me to.

BMO shuddered and his screen started flashing different colors, and for a moment I thought I'd broken him. Soon enough, though, an actual picture formed, focusing in on two dudes who were fighting trolls.

Furrowing my brow, I looked at the controller, confused on what to do next.

The soft padding of footsteps came up over to me, and I looked up to see Finn, now dressed in a red footie. He rubbed his eyes and plopped down next to me, grabbing the second controller.

"You gotta fight 'em," he said sleepily. His voice was deeper than before, more husky sounding. It made me smile a little at how sleepy he was.

"You gotta press this button," he said, pointing to the green button on the controller. "It makes you hit the bad guys."

"Really?" I asked, pressing the button to see if it actually did. What appeared to be the person I was controlling smacked a troll right in his face, making him fall back and disappear. My eyes grew huge as I started pushing the button as fast as I could.

Trolls were going down right and left as I kept hitting the green button, and I smiled victoriously as I almost single-handedly defeated them all.

Finn chuckled and hit the knob thing, and suddenly our little people were in a different place, with different creatures. I gasped and got right back into smashing the button to kill them all.

"Hey hey hey," Finn mumbled, grabbing my hand to stop me from breaking the controller. Electricity jolted up my arm from where he touched me, and we both looked at each other. Finn wasn't tired anymore.

He blinked, his blue eyes confused, but clear. Having just went through almost the same thing with a certain vampire chick not even ten minutes prior, I looked for the signs to see what he would do next.

"Did you feel that?" He asked, sounding out of breath. I nodded mutely, still watching him.

"What does it mean?"

I shrugged. Suddenly, what he had said that night when he'd saved me came rushing back. I cocked my head to the side as I stared into his face, seeing everything that She had looked like. It was like he was Her son, they looked that much alike.

"You're human," I murmured, more to myself than to him.

"Yes," he whispered right back.

I touched his face, feeling the familiar texture of skin that only humans could possess. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, and I watched in great interest the way his body moved. It was utterly fascinating to be near another human other than Her.

"Nice PJ's," I smirked, breaking what could have been considered a 'moment.' His eyes snapped open and he looked down, his cheeks burning as he realized how kid-like they seemed. I laughed, taking my hand back.

"You should go back to bed Finn," I said, all humor gone. "You need your rest."

He smiled sheepishly at me and stood up, and I had to bite my cheek to prevent myself from bursting out laughing at the butt-flap that was only buttoned on one side. He looked at me quizzically and looked down over his shoulder, a mortified look crossing his face.

He rushed back to the hole and ascended the ladder that was just within it, out of my line of vision in under a second. I shook my head and turned back to BMO, only to see we had lost the game.

"Oh, well," I sighed, pressing the red button again hoping BMO's face would reappear, which it did.

"So? Did you like my game?" He asked excitedly, a big smile on his 8-bit screen. I nodded and patted what I thought to be his head.

"It was really fun, BMO," I said sincerely. It had given me the distraction I had needed to get out of my dark thoughts.

"Let me know whenever you want to play again!" He cheerily responded as he hopped off of the table. He unplugged both controllers and opened a compartment on his side to put them in; taking great care to make sure they weren't as much as scratched.

"I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Dez!"

"Good night, BMO," I mumbled, a little sad that he was leaving.

I lay down on the couch again, staring at the ceiling in silence. I could hear every creak in the floorboards, every whistle in the wind outside, every cricket chirp that was so loud and obnoxious that it seemed like it was in the room with me.

_Stupid cricket._

I don't know how long I laid there, staring at the ceiling, mind blank as I listened to the world around me. It could have been minutes. It could have been days. It didn't matter. Soon enough, the sun rose in the sky, and the floorboards groaned from the area above me. They were awake.

I sat up and rolled my shoulders, the muscles there slightly tight since I hadn't moved once as I had laid down there. I was grateful that I could blank my mind, and that She had taught me how I could. Though, I don't think She ever planned for me to use this skill for the reason I was.

Jake bumbled down the hole in the wall, face-planting on the floor in his haste. Finn followed quickly after, using Jake's body to cushion his fall and making him squeak in protest.

Jake flipped them over and ran on all fours towards the kitchen, but Finn caught up to him before he could get there. Laughing, they wrestled and rolled right into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind them. Shouting followed by their laughter rang out from behind the closed door.

I stood up, picking my sword and backpack up off the table. Checking the backpack quickly to make sure all my things were inside, I slipped it on along with my sword. They were my only real semblances of our home, now that it had been destroyed.

Jake sashayed out of the kitchen with a plate full of pancakes decked out with chocolate chips and maple syrup. He winked at me as he drew closer, and I couldn't help the way my mouth watered at the sight. I hadn't had chocolate, or maple syrup for that matter, in years.

"Enjoy! Finn made them special today, but I don't know why." His brow furrowed as he contemplated the various answers to his own question. I rolled my eyes and took the plate and the fork he handed me.

My eyes grew into saucers after I took my first bite. The flavor of them was indescribable, and the chocolate chips added a delicious twist to it that it left my toes curling in pleasure. It just seemed to melt in my mouth. My stomach growled in appreciation since the strawberries from the night before hadn't made a dent in my hunger pangs.

The pancakes were devoured before Jake had even moved. I licked the plate clean, wanting to savor its mind-blowing flavor as long as I possibly could. Jake snapped out of his reverie long enough to chuckle at my behavior. Realizing how pig-like I was being, I sheepishly set the plate down, using my arm to wipe my mouth clean.

Hey! Living in the woods didn't call for many manners, so I shouldn't be expected to have them.

"Tell Finn that those pancakes were the best thing I have ever eaten in my life," I whispered, almost in a trance as I thought about the aspect of eating them every morning for the rest of my life. It wasn't a bad thought.

"Sure, Dezzie," he said amusingly.

I froze, no longer dazed and happy. I slowly slid my gaze to Jake, who had frozen as soon as I had.

"Don't. Call. Me. Dezzie," I hissed, sadness and anger warring in my expression. It hurt too much to even say that nickname.

Jake held his hands up in surrender and raised an eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into me. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again," he said, his voice serious.

Still standing stiffly, I closed my eyes, willing my mind to blank, just so I could get rid of the hurt for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, I reopened my eyes.

"It's fine, Jake. Just…Please, try not to call me by that name _ever _again. I just can't…" I sighed. Jake nodded, understanding.

"Okay, Dez. Do you want more pancakes?" I shook my head. I'd lost my appetite.

He nodded again and took my plate, disappearing behind the swinging kitchen door.

I was mentally banging my head against a wall as I sat down on the floor near the door. Why had I been so…mean? I really cared about Jake, and I didn't want to be mean to him.

_It's too soon, that's why,_ a small voice whispered in the corner of my mind. Everything was reminding me of her. From the way she'd say things, to what she looked like. It was driving me crazy. Oh, Glob. I missed her so much.

Finn strolled out of the kitchen fresh in his blue t-shirt and darker blue shorts. I couldn't help but crack a smile as I remembered his footie PJ's from last night. And judging by the way he avoided my gaze while his cheeks burned, I think he remembered too.

"Did you like the pancakes?" He asked, still avoiding my gaze. I smirked and nodded, shouldering my backpack.

"They were delicious. You truly have a gift at cooking," I smiled, letting only a smidge of sarcasm into my voice. He blushed again and smiled at me.

"Thanks for letting me stay here, Finn, but I gotta get going now. I'm sure I'll see you guys again, since you seem to pop up everywhere I go."

Jake nodded and pulled on Finn's arm, trying to give me some space. Finn pursed his lips and frowned, but didn't protest. How could he? He wasn't my mother.

Oh Glob. I shouldn't have thought that.

My heart hurt. I knew it would show on my face, so I turned away from them and walked out the door without a second-glance.

* * *

**A/N: **Welp, that was chapter 8! I hope ya'll like it, and want to see more :)

As always, please review! Reviews make the world go round :D

And thank you to all the people who have reviewed (The Loved and Unloved, The Midget Warrior, Aj Blakes, kinaboolovesanime, Guest, Marissa, and Zelda) It means a lot :)

Revised as of 3/29/13 :D


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone :) I'm baa-aaack! Not that I've been gone for that long, but...You know what I mean :|

Anyway, if you're following me (which if you are, free virtual air guitar for you!) you'd know I've now started a second story for the Hunger Games :)

If you're into that kinda thaaang, hit it up! Hope it's worthwhile!

Now, back to the thing ya'll came here for...

ONTO THE STORY!

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_Jake nodded and pulled on Finn's arm, trying to give me some space. Finn pursed his lips and frowned, but didn't protest. How could he? He wasn't my mother._

_Oh Glob. I shouldn't have thought that._

_My heart hurt. I knew it would show on my face, so I turned away from them and walked out the door without a second-glance. _

* * *

The sun was high in the sky as I walked quietly through the forest, my sword in hand. I'd been tracking this creature for hours, and my patience was waning quickly. I could easily find some other thing to do; I didn't have to waste time tracking an animal I hadn't even seen yet! Then I remembered how She had told me once I started something, I should finish it. Globdamn her and her lessons…

Suddenly, I heard a grunt and a thud from not that far ahead. My vigor returned and I rushed forward, making sure I was still being quiet as I went. A grin spread on my face until I parted the branches out of the way, and then I got to see what the creature really was.

A young bear cub was curled up on its side, whimpering with every breath as one of its paws tried to hold the cut on its side. My grin disappeared, and I was filled with sympathy for some strange reason. Why was I feeling this way? It was just an animal.

I must have made a noise or something, because the cub swiftly got to its feet, fear evident in its wide eyes. Its legs wobbled along with its chin as it looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. When its eyes landed on me (_or more accurately, my sword_,) it sobbed, trying to scramble away and only succeeding on landing on its rear.

"P-P-Please…Don't h-h-hurt me!" It cried, tears soaking its fur. It sobbed and held its paws over its eyes, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the thing. What had happened to the hardened girl Jacqueline had trained to be an Adventuress?

"Shhh…It's okay little guy, I won't hurt you," I said soothingly. "See?" I slowly sheathed my sword. It lowered its paws a little and watched, sniffling.

Crouching down to his height, I tried to pose as little threat as possible as I slowly went to him. He stiffened as he watched me approach, his eyes wide with fear again, causing him to throw his paws up to cover them again. I softly petted his fur, trying to soothe him like someone would do a baby.

Gradually, the poor cub relaxed, finally dropping his paws after about ten minutes.

"See? I won't hurt you," I murmured, wiping away his tears. He sniffled, looking up at me with relief.

"Do you want me to help you with your wound?" I asked, gesturing to his side. He looked down at it and then back up at me, his eyes now wide with a child's curiosity.

"You can help me?" It asked, amazed. I nodded, taking off my backpack. I let him sniff it so he knew it wasn't another threat, and then I opened it, digging for my first aid kit. Hopefully, antiseptics and painkillers worked on bears.

"Here, I want you to chew this up and swallow it, okay?" I asked, putting a pill in his paw. He nodded vigorously, trusting me completely as he did as he was told.

"Now, lie on your side and close your eyes." Again, he nodded and did as he was told.

"You remind me of Momma," he whispered. I frowned, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, but this might hurt a little bit…" I winced, hoping he wouldn't try and bite me if it did.

I tried to be as gentle as I could as I pressed a rag soaked with antiseptic on the cut. The poor cub whimpered, but otherwise did nothing. I took that as a good sign.

After I had cleaned it all out, I stitched it up, biting my lip even harder after every whine and whimper from the cub. It was actually breaking my heart that I was hurting this-this _animal_! But when he opened his eyes after I was finished, I understood why.

"There you go," I said with a smile, wiping my hands off on my jeans. The cub rolled to its feet and craned its neck, trying to get a look at my work. It was neatly stitched up and almost hidden by its fur. She had taught me well, I thought with a weary smile.

"Thank you so much!" He squealed, jumping up and down a couple times. I threw my hands out to try and calm him down before he could tear his stitches.

"You have to be careful, Little Cub. We don't want your boo-boo to open up again, do we?" He stopped and stared at me, shaking his head solemnly in response. I smiled.

"Good. Now, go on. I'm sure your mother is worried sick about you." He smiled widely and nodded, ambling away without a second-glance. I sighed and watched him go.

"Looks like this little Adventuress has a heart, doesn't she?"

I sprang to my feet, quickly unsheathing my sword as I looked for who had spoken. A dark figure approached from the trees, emerging out of the same exact spot I had.

Crazed yellow eyes watched me from an ashen face, a twisted smile marring up what could have once been considered a pretty face. Her body was bent, and her neck was turned at an odd angle, as if it were broken. Her teeth were sharp, and multiple colors, like that of candy corn. The sight was as disturbing as it was unnerving.

"What the Hell," I muttered, unable to take my eyes off the thing. She giggled, and I almost vomited from the way her neck rolled from the vibrations.

"Oh yes, she does. She's weak, just like Master said she was," the creepy, broken woman cackled.

"What do you want?" I shouted, holding my sword at the ready. Her eyes widened and her smile seemed like it would split her face in half. She took a step closer and sniffed, her body shivering with pleasure.

"She wants her flesh!" She hissed, rushing at me. I danced to the side, slashing out with my sword. She maneuvered around it and dove at me, her yellow eyes growing bright with excitement.

I landed on my backpack, her emaciated form weighing heavily down on me. Her head was perfectly positioned to bite my neck without any trouble, and she took advantage of this.

Her sharp, rotten teeth clamped down on my throat, and I screamed, so loud and long it hurt my own ears. It was a sound of pure agony. And that's all I could feel.

I clawed at her face until she was forced to release me. She hissed at me, white blood leaking from the scratches I had made. I shoved her off of me and rolled to my feet, hot tears welling up in my eyes from the pain. I pressed one hand to my neck while the other held up my sword, my eyes glued to her. She grinned wolfishly and licked her lips, moaning as she tasted my blood.

"So delicious...She needs more!" She howled, barreling towards me again.

I weakly avoided her, barely able to move my legs because they felt like lead. She quickly turned back to me again and swung her arms like they were clubs, smacking me hard in the stomach. The air left me and I wheezed, trying to regain it.

She moved to attack me some more, but I moved quicker, anticipating her next move subconsciously thanks to all the training I'd had. I used all my strength to cut at her with my sword, praying that it would hit its mark.

It did.

She stumbled back, a startled look on her ruined face. She looked down at her body, watching as the white blood flowed from her chest, like that of rancid milk. The tattered remains off what had once been a beautiful dress soaked it up, their dull colors triggering recognition in my brain.

"Oh my Glob," I whispered, my eyes huge.

That woman from the Candy Kingdom.

The one who was dressed in loud colors.

The one who was made of candy corn.

Oh my Glob.

She fell to her knees, her hands desperately trying to keep the wound from bleeding. Her body was wracked with tremors as she started gurgling, the blood seeping from her mouth as well. I could only watch in horror as she fell on her side, still shaking, and the life left her eyes.

When she finally went limp, her body deteriorated until all that was left was a pile of sugar. I gasped for breath and scrambled back, watching it out of the sheer horror of it all. _It's only been two days since I last saw her, how could she have turned into…this?_

I fell down on all fours and retched. My breakfast didn't taste nearly as delicious the second time around.

I stayed there, dry-heaving after I had nothing left to throw up. I was weak, and injured. I knew I shouldn't stick around, since there were things in this forest that would love to take advantage of a defenseless creature like myself, but I couldn't bring myself to. All I could think was that this woman had been alive and healthy only two days ago, and now she was dead. I had murdered her.

_That's not true,_ a little voice in my head argued, _you were defending yourself._

Was I? Or was I really like Jacqueline…Did I like to kill things, just because I could? Was I really an Adventuress, fighting to help those who couldn't fight for themselves, or I the one they needed to be defended from?

My head throbbed, like it was telling me I needed to get a move on. My throat was burning and throbbing as well, and I knew if I stuck around any longer, I might end up just like the candy woman. Except for that sugar-turning-into part.

I stuck my sword in the ground and used it for leverage so I could get up. It was harder than I thought it would be, and panic started to set in. What if I couldn't make it to help? What if I would die before I ever reached said help?

_Calm down! _ I scolded myself. _Remember what She said, _"Never panic. It could be what gets you killed."

Taking a few deep breaths, I couldn't help but let out a groan from the pain something simple as breathing cost me. I froze when I heard a twig snap, followed by the rustling sound of bushes. I couldn't handle another one of those deformed candy people in my condition.

Glob, I don't think I would be able to handle a flippin' _butterfly_ at this point. I braced myself as the noises got louder, preparing for the worst.

The little bear cub broke through the trees, his eyes wide as he ran up to me.

"Are you alright, lady?" He whisper-yelled, like he was trying to be quiet.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered back, my vision blurring in and out.

"I came to help you, lady! Like you helped me!" He smiled, jerking his head at his side. Then he turned serious and looked at my throat, his eyes widening again.

"Oh, no. Poor lady…" I winced and tried to smile, but all I could summon was a grimace.

"I told you to go to your mother," I whispered, still somehow able to get a little angry at him for not listening.

"I heard that other lady coming, and I wanted to help you, but then I got scared, and I didn't do anything. I'm sorry, lady," he sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes.

"It's okay," I murmured, patting his cheek.

"I know!" He shouted, making me jump. "I'll go get Momma! She'll help you, lady!" And with that, he was gone again, leaving me on my own.

"He is such a sweet kid," I murmured, my eyes drooping. I was _so tired_ all of the sudden. The all-nighter I pulled last night didn't seem like it was so smart now that I thought about it, but it was too late for that now.

_Maybe I should just lie down...Then I'll be strong and refreshed, and exactly how She wanted me to be…_

Just as I was about to slump over and go to sleep, the little cub ambled back into the small clearing, a wide grin on his face.

"Look, lady, look! See! I brought Momma! She's gonna help you!" He said excitedly, his whole body wriggling in happiness. Then he looked at me. "L-Lady? Don't go to sleep, lady…Momma!"

A giant brown bear stepped into the clearing, so huge it could have sat on me and you'd never see me again. She walked over to the little cub and looked down at me, concern in her big black eyes.

"Oh, honey. You gonna be alright. Momma'll help you." She stood up on her hind legs and scooped me up, being careful of my head. "We gotta clean ya up first, honey. James!" She called, getting the little cub's attention.

"I need ya to go get your sister and meet me at the Spring, alright?" James nodded and took off.

"Now, tell Momma what your name is," she rumbled, walking with me. Her voice was so deep, and so soothing. It reminded me of Her's. I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Wake up now, child! You can't go to sleep. Listen to me, please." I nodded, opening my eyes. I felt so safe in this giant bear's arms, which was kind of strange considering she could crush me in an instant, but what are ya gonna do.

"My name's Desdemona," I whispered, trusting her enough with my full name. Only She had known my entire name, and that was because she had given it to me.

"You got a pretty name, child. Do you wanna tell Momma what happened back there?" I shook my head, wincing as I thought about what I'd done.

"That's okay, you don't have to if you don't want to," she said solemnly, accepting my reluctance without prying. I was beginning to like this bear more and more.

"We're here, Desdemona. I'm gonna set ya down now, so try to be as careful as possible with your injury." I nodded again.

After she set me down, I looked around, amazed by the beauty of the scenery. This, 'Spring' she talked about was in a clearing, and the water was so clear that I could see all the way to the bottom. A small waterfall ran into it, shining brightly whenever it reflected the sun's rays. The trees around us were covered in vines, and it was the deepest green I had ever seen. It almost had a magical feel to it.

"It's beautiful," I whispered, staring at everything.

"I know," the bear whispered back, a smile on her lips.

James burst through the green, quickly followed by another cub that was a much lighter shade of brown than he was. It was also wearing a pink bow, so I assumed it was his sister.

"I brought Katjaa!" He shouted, seeming to always be excited about everything. Katjaa stepped forward and smiled at me, showing off her sharp white teeth.

"I'm Katjaa," she said just as excitedly. _Maybe it's just a cub thing…_

"This is Desdemona. We need to help her with an oowie on her neck, okay?" Katjaa nodded and ran over to the Spring, taking out a bowl from behind a rock.

"Here you go, Momma!" The big bear patted her child's head.

"Thank you, honey. Now, I want you to lay down, Desdemona. Close your eyes."

Then I understood what James had meant when he said I reminded him of his Momma.

"This might hurt a lil', but just bear with me," she chuckled. I mentally rolled my eyes and braced myself.

Ice cold water kissed the wound, and I couldn't help but howl in pain. Momma Bear hushed me and murmured apologies, but didn't stop. It was almost worse than just dealing with the pain itself. Then, I couldn't feel that side of my neck. It was like the water had numbed it. Maybe that had been her plan.

An odd, moving sensation came from the side she was working on, and it didn't hurt, but it didn't feel good either. It was just an uneasy feeling sensation. I opened my mouth to ask what she was doing, but she just shushed me again. So, I just laid there and let her work, cringing and whimpering every time it hurt more than I could bear. It felt like eternity before she stopped and spoke again.

"Alright, child, open your eyes."

I did as I was told and opened them, looking up to see three sets of curious black eyes looking back down at me.

"Do you feel better? Huh?!" James wriggled, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, do ya? Do ya?" Katjaa chimed in, mimicking her brother.

I reached up and touch my throat, surprised not to feel anything but my smooth skin in place of the bite. I sat up, no longer feeling tired or weak. I looked the big bear in the eyes, searching for answers.

"I used the power of the Spring, honey. It's magic."

"Magic…" I muttered, still touching my neck. I looked down in the bowl Katjaa had brought over and gasped.

"Whatever bit ya had a nasty way of doing it. It left over half of its teeth in your neck!" Momma Bear shook her head. "So unprofessional."

I picked up the bowl and looked at the sharp fragments of her candy corn teeth, trying to figure out what had happened to her. Why did she go bad?

"You look to be thinking really hard there, Desdemona," Momma Bear commented, patting my head with her giant paw. "Don't do that. It only hurts your head."

"Momma? Can me and Katjaa go out and play?" James asked. The big bear nodded, smiling as she watched her children go.

"You really love them, don't you?" I asked, resting on my elbows. She nodded, a wistful look on her face.

"With all my heart," she rumbled, that look only mothers could have on her face. It made my own heart hurt.

"Thank you, Momma Bear. I don't think I would have made it without you…" I whispered, sharing some of the things I'd been thinking about ever since I was bit. She waved her paw at me dismissively.

"It was nothin', honey. Consider it a Thank-You for helping James." I blinked.

"You know about that?"

"Mmm-hmm. He told me. You were quite kind, even though you could have just as easily killed him. Don't give me that look. We all know how these woods work. I'm just glad you decided to help him."

I looked into the bowl of candy teeth and decided I would get to the bottom of whatever was going on, no matter what it took. That creature…That candy woman… She didn't deserve to be turned into such a monster, no matter how annoying or soft she had been.

* * *

**A/N: **Did ya like? I like. Very much so. And if any of you have heard of the show Bravest Warriors on YouTube, I like to imagine James and Katjaa sound like Catbug :P

Geez, this chapter has the most words yet!

Now, I would like to thank those who reviewed for last chapter :) This includes: Zelda, The Loved and Unloved, and Angel Cakes! Thank you! :D

(I'm thinking of including these shout-outs every chapter from here on out, okay? Okay.)

As always, please review!

Revised as of 3/29/13


	10. Chapter 10

Hello. This is Chapter 10 to my story, Another Human. Hee hee.

:)

In this chapter, I tried experimenting with a different POV for a change :P Not sure how well I did, but I tried!

Now, what you all came here for...

ONTO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: Adventure Time, I do not own. Sadly.

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_I looked into the bowl of candy teeth and decided I would get to the bottom of whatever was going on, no matter what it took. That creature…That candy woman… She didn't deserve to be turned into such a monster, no matter how annoying or soft she had been._

* * *

**Dez's POV**

James and Katjaa were clinging to my legs, each begging me to stay just a little bit longer. I smiled down at them kindly, wanting to stay but knowing that I couldn't. I had to figure out what was going on and what had really happened to that candy woman.

I detached them carefully from my legs, making sure I didn't hurt James' recovering wound, and set them down next to their mother. She looked down at them sternly, and they bowed their head. James winked at me though with a toothy grin.

"Thanks again, Momma Bear, for helping me. You were the best nurse I could have ever asked for," I grinned, winking at her.

"It was nothing, honey. You can come back and visit us anytime you want."

"Please don't go, lady," James sniffled, giving me a heartbreakingly sad look, "I feel safer when you're here…"

I sighed and bent down to his level. I held his already big and fluffy head between my hands and kissed his nose. He smiled and tried to wag his stub of a tail, and failed.

"I'm sorry, Little Cub. You have to stay here with your Momma, and I have to go back to my-" Gulp, "-_home_." I forced out the word. He put his paw on my arm.

"But we're friends, lady!"

"I know we're friends, Little Cub, so tell ya what. I'll come and visit you from time to time, alright?" He frowned, unsatisfied with my answer.

"James…"

He huffed, but nodded grudgingly. I rubbed his head affectionately and stood back up, adjusting my sheath. Katjaa started nibbling on his ear, an innocent look on her furry face.

"Please do!" She said with a mouthful of James' ear, "You're such a nice lady."

"Okay, Katjaa," I smiled, rubbing her back.

"Goodbye, and good luck, Desdemona!" Momma Bear called after me as I walked away.

"You too, Momma Bear! Take care!" I called back.

The sun was starting to set when I found a good spot to stop. I sat down in front of a large Oakash tree, taking the Enchiridion and the candy woman's teeth from my pack. There had to be something in there that could help me.

"There has to be some sort of science-y stuff in here," I muttered, skimming through it old worn pages.

"Fighting styles, techniques, diets, pottery…Ah ha! Science-y stuff!" I used my finger to trace the words as I read them in my head.

Apparently, the candy woman might have been infected with a disease called Cavities. It seemed that once infected, the person will begin to rot and stiffen, giving it an appearance of already being dead. Not much was known on it since it appeared to be a very rare disease. The odds of getting the disease were 1 to 1 billion. If the victim goes untreated, this virus will slowly devour its hosts' body until there is nothing left.

"Why wouldn't people study this?" I murmured as I furrowed my brow.

The last rays of the sun that I had been using to read disappeared abruptly, causing me to look up. Dark, menacing clouds covered the sky, and my heart plummeted all the way down to my toes in dread.

I slammed the book shut and stuffed it back in my backpack along with the teeth. Maybe if I was fast enough, I could get somewhere I could hide before the thunder started.

Lightening flashed in the sky, and my hopes of outrunning the storm disappeared with it. I bit my lip and started running, my eyes scanning my immediate area as it got harder and harder to see. Soon, it was almost pitch-black out; the only source of light was the quick flashes of lightening.

_BOOM!_

The thunder was so powerful it felt like the ground shook underneath me, but that also could have been because my legs were so shaky. I clenched my eyes tightly shut and hugged myself. Taking deep breaths, I tried to calm down before I was so wild with fear that I wouldn't be able to think straight.

A small, almost insignificant droplet of water fell on my nose, making me blink. Another fell on my cheek, and another on my arm. _Rain? Seriously?! _I thought in exasperation. Now I was going to be scared, vulnerable, and cold. Things were just getting better and better.

_BOOM!_

The thunder resounded again, and I started breathing heavily. Panic was setting in, and I started running again, no longer caring where I ended up anymore.

_BOOM! _

I whimpered and ran harder, pushing my body to its fullest. I had to escape. I couldn't let them catch me. They'd hurt Her again…

_BOOM!_

I started crying, my tears intermingling with the rain now that it poured steadily overhead. I wasn't able to save her. I had to watch as he cut her, with her own sword…

_**BOOM!**_

I fell to my knees, my entire body wracked in tremors from the cold and from my fear. My fear of the thunder. My fear of _that night._ I put my head in my hands and bawled, letting all my sounds get drowned out by the storm.

Pausing in my sob-fest to wipe the water out of my eyes, I saw something in the distance. Squinting, I looked closer, jumping to my feet when I saw what it was.

Light. A bright, orange glow that could only mean one thing.

Shelter. I could escape.

I struggled back to my feet, a newfound resolve steeling my frayed nerves. I started moving again, running as fast as I could to my escape. It didn't matter to me whether or not the shelter was safe. All that mattered was the escape from the storm and my memories.

I slowed down as I came closer, the logical part of me barely stopping me from blindly going somewhere without checking it out first. Stepping closer, I squinted through the rain to see what I had thought my saving grace was.

A large cave opening gaped back at me, the orange glow coming from within. I dug my nails in my palms in order to keep myself focused. Quietly, I snuck over to the side of the opening and pressed myself against it. Looking around the corner, I tried to find the source of the glow.

My eyes landed on a Flame Lion kitten, curled up on its side as it slept. Its tail flickered in and out as it dreamed things I couldn't even think of. I relaxed and edged my way into the cave, hoping not to wake it.

I sat down next to a wall and shivered, freezing now that I was out of the rain. I closed my eyes, so glad I had found shelter, even if I had to share it with a wild Flame Lion kitten. If I didn't wake it up, I'd be fine.

_BOOM!_

I gasped, eyes widening in fear. I clamped my hands down on my ears, rocking back and forth as I murmured a song I had heard Her sing once. My eyes were squeezed shut as I tried to drown out the storm.

"What the Hell?!"

My eyes flew open again to see bright orange boots standing in front of me. My gaze slowly traveled upward as dread curled in my stomach. His entire body was radiating heat, but also anger as I finally met his gaze. His eyes were a bright red, and he was _so pissed._

"What do you think you're doing here!?" He yelled, his hands clenching into fists. I examined his face for a moment before shakily standing up, using the wall to steady me.

"I was getting out of the storm," I said quietly, examining the red jewel that sat right where his hair started.

"And you thought you could just come in here?" He asked, looking at me incredulously. "There is a Flame Lion child _right there! _Don't you know how dangerous they are?" He pointed to the kitten, which had since rolled onto its back, exposing its white belly. It looked to be as harmless as, well, a kitten. But I already knew how dangerous those little fireballs could be.

"Yeah, I did. But I didn't wake it up, now did I?" I asked, still keeping quiet. He paused, narrowing his eyes at me.

"That's not the point-"

_**BOOM!**_

**Flame Prince's POV**

The girl jumped, her eyes growing large as the thunder rolled outside. I raised an eyebrow and was about to comment when she grabbed onto me.

"Ow! What are you doing?" I freaked, holding my arms away from her so I wouldn't burn her. How could she handle touching me? I was literally made of fire, for Glob's sake! You had to use a special spell to even get near me if you weren't a fellow fire elemental.

The girl whimpered in response, holding onto me tighter as water leaked from her eyes.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, tentatively touching her back. She didn't even flinch at the contact.

She sobbed, burying her face into the folds of my royal clothing. I was at a loss as I looked down at her. She didn't look like she was from the Fire Kingdom, and the way water leaked from her eyes could have meant she was from the Water Kingdom, but she lacked the blue skin tone.

Sighing in defeat, I sat down, letting her hold onto me. She curled up in my lap just like Pyram normally did, her sobs slowing as she relaxed. Was she scared of thunder or something?

"Thank you," she said after a while. I just nodded, my eyes closed. It had been a long day.

"It looks like the storm has stopped," she whispered, and I could hear the relief in her voice.

"Why are you afraid of thunderstorms?" I asked out of nowhere, really curious about this strange girl who could touch me. She stiffened and released her hold on me.

"I'm not afraid of anything," she said mechanically, staring me straight in the eye. I scoffed, pushing her off my lap.

"Yeah right. Unless you have the hots for me, or just _really _enjoy hugging people, I think you're lying through your teeth." I got really close to her face, making sure I put my famous glare on for effect. "I don't like liars."

She snorted, shoving me away as she stood up. "That makes two of us."

She turned away from me to go somewhere else but suddenly froze, cocking her head to the side as if listening for something. I stood up to ask what was up, when she whipped her head back, holding a finger to her lips.

"Stay here," she whispered, her eyes showing how serious she was. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.

Taking that as an affirmative, she turned back to the mouth of the cave. She tip-toed toward the mouth quietly, sticking close to the walls as she advanced. I tried to peer into the darkness outside, but without any light I couldn't see a thing.

I scoffed and leaned against the wall. _This girl must be nuts to think something would even _dare _to come here when a Flame Lion cub is sleeping not even fifteen feet from the entrance!_ I shook my head, wondering why I hadn't just scorched her when I first saw her.

Faster than the blink of an eye, she leapt out of the cave, disappearing into the darkness. I pushed off from the wall and took a step closer to where she had just been. _Where did she go?_

A few shouts reverberated from outside, and then the distinct sound of something slamming into the ground. My eyes widened and I dashed forward, not caring that I had only met the girl less than half an hour ago. I made a sweeping motion with my arm to illuminate the area outside the cave.

**Dez's POV**

"That makes two of us," I stated, turning away from the jerkwad who tried getting in my personal area. Did I mention how much I _hated _when people got all up in my business?

A grunt followed by heaving breathing made me freeze; the years of training She put me through heightening my senses. I could feel the heat emanating from the boy move, and I turned to hush him, still listening carefully.

After making sure he wouldn't follow me, seeing as his bright glow would alert whatever it was to our presence, I tip-toed closer. The breathing and grunts got louder the further I went, and I knew that the thing was waiting, watching.

I saw a flash of brown fur at about thigh-level a couple feet out, and my face widened into a grin. I pounced, using my strong legs to my advantage as I sprang right into a ball of wet fur.

James reared up on hind legs, using his oversized paws to push me over. I shouted out in alarm and landed on my back with a thud, James lying right on top of me. He licked my face like a dog as he giggled with excitement at having found me. I thought my body would be crushed under all his weight.

Light enveloped the area, and the boy stood at the entrance to the cave, worry pinching his eyebrows together. His eyes grew wide as he took in the scene, and then the next thing I knew he had a fireball at the ready to incinerate James.

"NO!" I shouted, wiggling my arms out from under me so I could throw them protectively over James. "Don't hurt my Little Cub!"

"Little…Cub?" He asked in confusion, the fireball disappearing as he dropped his arms to his side.

"Hi! I'm James!" James said happily, oblivious to how close he just came to death. "What's your name?"

"My name…? What's going on here?" He shook his head and took a step back.

I wiggled my way out from under James and got up, sighing when I realized my clothes were now soaked again. I turned to the little cub as he got to his feet, still smiling.

"James, what are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to stay with your mother and Katjaa," I said, putting my hands on my hips and ignoring the boy's question. James put his head down and pawed the ground.

"_James_?" I prompted, raising an eyebrow. He huffed and looked back up at me guiltily.

"I didn't want you to get hurt, so I came to protect you!" He started, rubbing his head on my leg affectionately. "But then it started raining, and I couldn't find you. I got scared, but I stayed, trying to find you. And then, I saw you running, so I followed…" He said, looking back down. "Momma said I could…" He continued.

"James, I told you I would visit you! You weren't supposed to follow me!" I exclaimed, wincing at how harsh I sounded.

"Look, you shouldn't have come," I tried again, sounding softer, "But I'm glad you did. Come here, Little Cub. Let's get you warmed up." We started to go back in the cave.

"_EXCUSE ME!_" The boy growled, clenching his hands into fists. "Are you going to answer my question, or not?" I pursed my lips and deliberated.

"This is James," I introduced. "He's a bear cub I found in the woods not far from here that I patched up. Apparently, he followed me here even after I promised I'd visit him and his family soon." I gave James a pointed look.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but would you be so kind as to start a fire so I can get him warmed up?" I asked, rubbing my arm sheepishly. He gave me a look that implied I was crazy and shook his head. He turned and walked back in the cave. I motioned James to follow me.

The fire boy grumbled things to himself as he kicked sticks into a pile, dropping a small flame like a raindrop on the finished product. It caught fire immediately, burning high and bright despite the small amount of wood it contained.

"Thank you," I mumbled, situating James next to it. He shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the Flame Lion cub, dropping down next to it without as much as a whisper.

Jerkwad.

I rubbed down James to try and shake off some of the muck that seemed to have gotten stuck in his fur when he ran through the mud. Once I was satisfied and James was starting to complain, I let him be and sat back, staring into the fire.

I'd always loved fire. Even when I was just starting to understand what things were, I loved it. Jacqueline used to shake her head as she'd watch me just stare at a fire for hours, never growing bored. It was just that the way it moved and shaped itself enticed me, showing off a raw beauty that I couldn't help but love. It didn't matter to me whether it was destructive or not. I loved it for what it was. It made me feel warm, and secure, two things that I'd grown up thinking were non-existent in this world.

The fire boy sat opposite from us with his Flame Lion kitten curled up in his lap. His eyes were narrowed as he tried his hardest to figure me out. It wasn't really working out for him, and he furrowed his brow in annoyance.

I laid down to stare up at the ceiling, the fire's flames still dancing in my vision. James lay down beside me, curling up into a ball of wet brown fur. He really was a sweet little thing.

"What's your name?" I asked, my voice unusually gentle as I closed my eyes. I could hear the fire-boy pause at the sound of my voice.

"Flame Prince," he replied gruffly. I smirked.

"No, what's your _first_ name?" He sighed theatrically and leaned against the wall.

"It's Ignitus," he grumbled, and I could hear the reluctance he had in telling me it.

"My name's Dez, and it was a pleasure meeting you, Ignitus the Flame Prince," I said, using my most formal voice I could muster. He chuckled and shifted, and I knew he was lying down as well.

"Why are you living in this cave if you're a prince?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Aren't you entitled to a castle or something fancy like that?"

He sighed, shifting again. "It's not that simple, Dez." I sat up, opening my eyes.

"And why is that?" He ran a hand through his hair for the nth time since I'd met him. It must've been a nervous habit.

"Because it's not, okay!" He yelled, the sound echoing around the cave. I shrugged, letting it slide.

"Whatever you say, Ignitus."

We went silent after that, both lost in our thoughts. James was sound asleep from his spot beside me, one paw resting on my leg protectively. He snored softly every so often, and it was surprisingly cute coming from him. _You're growing soft, Dez, _I thought, unable to stop myself from smiling at the cute little brown bear cub.

"I guess we're partners now," I mumbled quietly, more to myself than anybody. Ignitus looked up from petting the Flame Lion.

"What's your Lion's name?" I asked, hoping he hadn't heard me before. He blinked and looked down at it, deliberating again.

"Pyram. It's Latin for fireball, which is exactly what she is most of the time." He gave a pointed look at the kitten. It raised one of its front legs and pawed his mouth. I chuckled.

"Nice to meet you, Pyram." Pyram looked at me quizzically, only understanding her name. Ignitus smirked, ruffling up her head.

"Thanks for…not pushing me away," I changed the subject, meeting his fire red gaze. His fire turned a faint shade of pink and he mumbled something I couldn't understand. I laid back down.

"I'm sorry for just barging in your home here, Ignitus. We'll be out by morning," I promised, already thinking about what I'll do when we leave, since I now have to figure James into my plans.

"Whatever."

I needed to find out what had happened to that candy corn woman. It was as simple as that. What wasn't so simple was the 'finding out' part.

Opening my backpack, I took the Enchiridion out along with the teeth, shuddering when they glinted in the light of the fire. I crossed my legs and opened the book, oblivious to the sudden interest Ignitus had with what I was doing.

"What's that?" He asked, pointing to the Enchiridion. I looked up.

"This? It's the Enchiridion, the Adventurers Book for Adventuring." He snorted.

"Sounds stupid."

"Hey! This stupid book has taught me over half the things I know!"

"That isn't saying much," he mumbled under his breath, just loud enough so I could hear. I glared at him.

"You wanna challenge me?" I asked, my eyes flashing with danger. An equal amount of danger flashed in his eyes, and he stood up, setting Pyram on the ground.

"Let's do this."

I grinned. I could already tell this was going to be fun.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope ya'll liked it :) I worked ever so hard on this...

Let me know what you thought about the other POV! I love feedback :D

These chapters are getting longer and longer...

Sorry, just an observation :P

As always, Please Review! And thanks to these amazing people for reviewing the last chapter: Lovely People & jennyxxfasho!

Revised as of 2/29/13 :D Now, onto working on Chapter 11!


	11. Chapter 11

Hi guys!

I hope you guys are all having a wonderful time wherever you are, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I worked harder on this one than any of my other ones- Excluding Chapter 1, of course.

Yup.

Onto the story!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Adventure Time. I don't think anyone here does either. I do own Desdemona, James, Katjaa, and Momma Bear though. I hope that counts for something.

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_"You wanna challenge me?" I asked, my eyes flashing with danger. An equal amount of danger flashed in his eyes, and he stood up, setting Pyram on the ground._

_"Let's do this."_

_I grinned. I could already tell this was going to be fun._

* * *

Makeshift torches lined the perimeter in front of the cave, marking the area like some sort of tribal ritual. Ignitus lit each and every one with just a flick of his fingers, smirking at me when I watched, amazed. Shaking my head, I glared at him, drawing my sword. His smirk widened into a grin as he raised his arms, causing the faint flames that usually danced around him to grow tenfold.

"Good luck," I said, getting into position, "You're gonna need it."

He let out a shout, like a battle cry, and summoned a ball of fire the size of James. He launched it at me, a scowl forming on his face as he forced it my way. His face was shadowed by the flames that licked around him, giving him an almost evil quality.

I did a backflip, twisting my body to avoid the ball of Death. It hit a tree that had been behind me, incinerating it entirely. All that was left was a small pile of ashes.

I landed on my feet, crouched down as I watched him for his next move. His lip curled when he saw me land unscathed, and his fire burned brighter. He created another fireball and shot it immediately, following it quickly with a third and a fourth one.

I dashed around in a zigzagged line, dodging every fireball easily as I ducked and rolled. It only seemed to frustrate the young Prince even more, causing him to shoot more rapidly. My hair was nearly hit at least five times, and I knew I had to cut it soon. It was only a hazard. Besides, I didn't care that much about my looks, unlike most female creatures in this land.

His flames were probably visible all the way to Marshall Lee's house, they were so bright. He was worked up into a fury just because he couldn't hit me, and the air of the once fun battle we started out having disappeared, replaced with a seriousness that only meant trouble. Especially for me.

He lifted up his arms, creating a ten foot tall wave of fire that bent entirely to his will. His scowl deepened as he focused the wave of fire on me. I held out my sword, hoping that the crazy idea that was forming in my head would work. I don't think my body would last if I was hit full-force with that wave.

Before I could blink, he snapped his arms forward, unleashing the energy of holding the sheer mass of the flames back, making them that much stronger. I kept my face carefully blank as I positioned my sword, hoping that somehow, someway, I could do what She had once done.

Waiting until it was the very last second, I sliced upward with my sword, splitting the wall into two separate pieces. It created just enough space for me to slip through without getting terribly burned, and it allowed me to catch the Mighty Flame Prince off-guard.

Sprinting as fast as I could, I tackled Ignitus to the ground before he even knew what was happening. His flames died down as I straddled him, my sword pointed at his throat. Its blade was scalding to the touch, but somehow it hadn't melted when it came in contact with his fire, which I was grateful for.

"I win," I breathed, out of breath from the near-death experience that had just happened. "You should always be on guard, Ignitus. Never let it down during a fight. Got that?"

He pushed me off of him and sat up, rubbing his neck while he pouted. I smirked at him and set my sword on the cool grass, watching as steam rose up from my sword's heat. I held my hand over it, smiling a little bit when it warmed it up.

"You know, you're not half bad, Ignitus," I said with a smirk as I looked back over at him. "You'd be a decent partner in combat. And that means a lot when it comes from me," I smiled, bumping my shoulder into his. He just stared at me, like he couldn't understand what I had said.

"Now that that's settled, let's go back inside the cave. I'm sure James has noticed by now I'm not there anymore," I rolled my eyes, getting up.

Ignitus just kept watching me, not saying a word. I shrugged. He could do whatever he wanted, I guess. I scooped up the sword, glad that it had cooled down a little bit due to the wet grass. I sheathed it and started walking back to the cave.

I felt a disturbance in the air behind me, and I let my instincts take over. I dropped to the ground like I had just been knocked unconscious, and I watched as another fireball shot where I had stood, hitting the side of the cave and diminishing immediately.

"Never leave your guard down!" I sang, brushing myself off as I stood up again. Ignitus rubbed his hand through his hair and hung his head, exasperated. I smiled at him and sauntered back into the cave. He followed me in, grumbling curses at me under his breath.

I sat down next to James again, already knowing before I even took a step in the cave that he was still asleep. Some protector he was. I smiled at him and gently stroked his head.

"How were you able to do all those things?" Ignitus asked, disbelief coloring his features. "No one's ever bested me when it came to fighting. So how could some scrawny girl like you?"

I scowled at him, but ended up sighing. I already knew his ego wouldn't allow just accepting defeat. He just had to find out how I could have possibly done it. She had been exactly the same.

"Do you really want to know?" I asked, scooting back to lean against the cave wall. He gave me the _duh_ look and crossed his arms, waiting. I pursed my lips and looked out into the night.

"She wanted me to be able to do great things, so she trained me to be the best of the best. Hours and hours of training forced me to push myself beyond what my limit was, creating a stronger, better, faster girl that nobody could mess with. It had been the only thing that ever made Her smile," I admitted, hugging my knees to my chest as I avoided eye-contact.

"Who's She?" He asked, his expression softened as he watched me in intrigue. My lips quirked into a wry smile, and I could just see her, yelling orders out for me to follow, her long blonde hair whipping around her from her power.

"Her name was Jacqueline," I murmured, speaking her name for the first time since she had been killed. "She had been my mother."

"What do you mean, 'was'?" He asked, sitting down in front of me. I closed my eyes, and the scene replayed itself behind my eyelids in incredible detail.

"She was murdered," I whispered, finally turning to meet his gaze, "Right before my very eyes."

His eyes widened and suddenly he couldn't meet my eyes. All the anguish and sadness came rushing back, and I turned to look out into the night again, too scared to blink in case I would see it all again. I would never be able to forget the look in her bright blue eyes for as long as I lived.

"She wasn't even really my mother, you know," I said, breaking the silence. He looked back at me again, his fire dimmed noticeably.

"She had found me, all alone, as a baby. She had been out adventuring when she came across what had once been a house, but had been almost completely destroyed. I was wrapped up in an animal pelt, fast asleep in the middle of the rubble, no parent in sight. So she took me with her and gave me a name. _Desdemona._ She said if she hadn't come along, I would have probably died…" I trailed off, tears welling up as I remembered the night she had told me the story.

Ignitus watched me in silence, but reached up with his hand to brush the tears away. They made his finger sizzle and crack, but he didn't seem to care. I turned to him, taking in a shuddering breath to calm myself down. I wasn't the Adventuress she raised me to be if it made me cry just thinking about her.

"Thank you for listening, Ignitus. I haven't talked about her since she died," I bowed my head, wiping away at the tears that didn't seem to want to stop.

"You're welcome," he mumbled, staring at me in amazement. What was there to be amazed about? I was crying, and showing a near-stranger weakness. If anything, he should be pissed and tell me to knock it off.

No. Ignitus would never do that. He was too compassionate for that. Jacqueline was the one always yelling at me for the tears, telling me that they only made me vulnerable, that they only made it easier for things to kill me. I'd cried more in the past five days than I had in my entire life, including when I was a baby.

"Promise me that you'll never breathe a word of what I just said to you," I said solemnly, making myself meet his gaze. I couldn't have him telling anybody all these things once upon a time only She had known about me.

"Why do I need to promi-"

"Just promise me!" I pleaded. He paused, taking in my expression. Sighing, he shook his head, mumbling something about how he should've shot me when he had the chance.

"I swear on my own life that I will never tell anyone what has been said here, in this cave," he said, gesturing around us. "Is that good enough?" I smirked, lightly shoving him before moving back over by James.

"You should rest now, Ignitus. Dawn will break soon," I said, closing my eyes as I lay on my back.

"Are you sure you're okay, Dez?" He asked gently, moving so he was sitting beside me again. I nodded, putting on a fake smile that I used to reassure Jacqueline with every time I ate her cooking.

"I'm fine. Just go to sleep already," I said, yawning. He looked down at me like he couldn't understand me, which he seemed to do a lot.

Without another word, he lay down beside me, making sure to keep a considerate distance away, still worried he would burn me, I presumed. I mentally snorted, knowing the charm Jacqueline put on me when I was only two protected me from being burned.

That night, with my own personal heater on one side and a furry fluffball on the other, I was able to sleep dreamlessly for the first time since she had gone.

~OoOoO~

A brown, furry paw was covering my face when I woke up. I squinted to avoid getting hair in my eyes and shoved it off, holding my breath so I didn't sneeze. James rolled onto his side and stretched, blearily blinking his eyes open. He yawned, showing off his large white fangs as he did so.

I put a finger to my lips and rubbed his cheek, trying to make sure he stayed quiet. He blinked at me questionably, confused on what was happening. I sat up and indicated the motionless body beside me.

Ignitus was fast asleep, his flames dimmed almost to nonexistence. His jaw was slack and he snored a little bit louder than James had, but not enough to be crazy annoying. One of his arms was tucked behind his head as a pillow, and the other was inches away from touching me. He really did look peaceful in his sleep.

I got up as quietly as I could and woke James up a little more, as he was still half-asleep. I'd had more than enough experience sneaking out of places since Jacqueline usually liked to sleep in in the mornings. James shook himself and stood up, about to comment on something when I shushed him. The whole point of sneaking out was to not get caught.

We crept past the sleeping Flame Prince and had almost made it to the mouth of the cave before we froze. My eyes slowly slid over to Pyram, who was watching us with interest. Her tail flickered back and forth, her eyes never leaving mine. The look in her eyes told me that if I tried to leave without saying anything, she would wake Ignitus up instantly. Stupid cat.

Calling her bluff, I took another step towards the opening, watching her as I did so. She leapt lithely off her perch and trotted over to Ignitus' sleeping form, her small paw raised as if to poke his face. I narrowed my eyes, thinking _You wouldn't._ Her eyes flashed, and I realized how smart that kitten really was. _Try me, _her eyes said. James looked up at me in confusion.

"What do we do?" He whispered loudly, looking between the wicked kitten and me. I pursed my lips and thought for a moment.

"We wake him up ourselves," I responded, striding toward him. He stirred as I got closer.

I bent down and, while shooting the stupid kitten a glare, thumped the Flame Prince on the forehead. His eyes flew open and he sat up, his flames bursting into life. He had already formed a ball of fire before he even took the time to see who I was.

"Dez?" He said more than asked, the ball already diminishing in size. I nodded and smirked, thumping him a second time before standing back up. He looked at me in disbelief.

"What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his forehead in agitation.

"Just thought I'd wake you before I left," I shrugged, adjusting my sheath. For once somebody hadn't taken it from me while I slept!

He frowned, obviously unhappy that I decided to thump him awake. Pyram innocently looked up at him, mewing sweetly as she pawed his leg. I scowled at her as he picked her up and put her in his lap. The little turdlette.

"Well, see ya around," I said awkwardly, giving a little wave before turning and going over to James.

"Wait!" He called, dropping Pyram as he got up to follow me. Pyram rolled over once before getting to her feet, her fire flaring as she hissed at me.

"I'm going with you," he said as he made me face him. I quirked my brow and looked at him, wondering whether or not he was joking. He looked dead serious.

"Seriously?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. He nodded.

"This cave was only a temporary place anyway. Besides, you seem to be in way over your head with everything." I bristled.

"How did you ever get _that_ idea?"

"Yeah! She's got me, so my Lady doesn't need you!" James said, sticking his tongue out. Ignitus smirked at him, like Jacqueline used to do to me when I was younger and wanted something.

"Sometimes things get too scary for little bears to handle," he said, flashing his teeth at James as he turned up his flames. James cowered slightly.

"Knock it off!" I said, shoving him. He stumbled back a couple steps and looked at me in shock. I bent down and rubbed James' head affectionately.

"It's okay, Little Cub. He was just being a jerkwad, that's all." James nodded, comforted by my touch. I smiled and ruffled his fur.

"Look, I'm sorry. I was just trying to tell him that there are some bad people in this world, and sometimes a little cub like him can't handle it. I didn't mean to scare the little runt," he said honestly, dimming his flames back to their usual glow. I sighed, rolling my eyes to look at the ceiling.

"Fine. You can come with. But say anything to harm my Little Cub in any way, so help me Ignitus the Flame Prince, I _will _use my sword, and this time I won't hesitate to kill you," I said gravely, keeping eye-contact with him. He grinned.

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

* * *

**A/N:** Sup. Yeah, there's more Ignitus the Flame Prince in this chapter. Oh well.

I happen to like his character, so I'm planning on keeping him around for a little while longer. Smiley face.

I hope you all understand Dez's character a little bit more now. She's more than a kick-butt girl who has a soft spot for certain brown bear cubs. More smiley faces.

Thank you all, for coming to read more of Another Human. It makes me happy, even when things are crappy.

Don't ya just love rhymes?

As always, please review! Shout-outs to these cool peeps for reviewing for the last chapter!: The Loved and Unloved, jennyxxfasho, ZeldaGurl123, kinabooextraordinaire, and TheMidgetWarrior. Virtual cookies for all!


	12. Chapter 12

ONTO THE STORY

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time. I only own Dez, Jacqueline, James, Momma Bear, Katjaa, and that's it.

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_"Fine. You can come with. But say anything to harm my Little Cub in any way, so help me Ignitus the Flame Prince, I will use my sword, and this time I won't hesitate to kill you," I said gravely, keeping eye-contact with him. He grinned._

_"I wouldn't expect anything else."_

* * *

**Dez's POV**

James laughed and giggled as he bounded about; sniffing everything he came in contact with. Ignitus walked beside me, quiet as he observed our surroundings. He seemed to have become protective of me in the short time we had known each other, and for some strange reason it didn't make me feel angry or frustrated like it normally would. It was almost comforting to know someone had my back. Like the old days.

We were on our way back to Finn's treehouse, only because I thought he would know what to do with the information I had on the candy woman. I didn't know how Ignitus would react to the wood of the treehouse, so I was hoping he would opt to stay outside to save me the trouble of asking him to.

But, of course, he didn't.

I knocked on the door, petting James' head as we waited. Jake flung open the door when he saw me through the window, but apparently, he hadn't seen Ignitus, who had stayed off to the side a little bit to examine something. James reared up on his wobbly hind legs and held out his paw for Jake to shake.

"Hi! I'm James! What's your name?" He asked brightly, all smiles. Jake blinked and looked up at me, as if to ask where I had gotten him. I rolled my eyes and motioned for him to shake paws with the excited cub.

"Hi, I'm Jake," he said slowly, uncertain how to proceed. It was like he had made James' day when they shook, since the little bear launched himself forward to give Jake a hug. Jake stumbled back, letting out a shout as the two tumbled on the floor.

"James! Your stitches!" I reprimanded, crossing my arms. James stopped laughing and took a step away from Jake, who was sprawled out on the floor, dazed.

"I'm sorry, Lady. I didn't mean to make you angry," he sniffled, crawling over to me and burying his head in my side. I glared at him at first, but soon stopped as I remembered he was still only a cub. I rubbed his face and placed a kiss on his snout, lightly chuckling when he sneezed.

"What is this place, Dez?" Ignitus asked from behind us, coming into the doorway. Jake jumped to his feet, ees narrowed as he puffed up a little bit.

"You!" They said at the same timerag lowering at each other. I looked back and forth between them, perplexed by the sudden hostility in the air. Jake started to growl and moved protectively in front of me, which didn't sit well with Ignitus.

"Get away from her!" He yelled, his flames flaring bright. James cowered into my side, not liking the heat coming from the Flame Prince.

"Make me!" Jake fired right back, his hands morphing into giant battle axes. Ignitus stared at him intensely, his face contorting with anger as he summoned a large fireball, aiming it directly at Jake's head. Already knowing how badly this would all end, I jumped forward, flinging my arms out to stop them.

"Guys! Knock it off and take it down a peg!" I exclaimed, trying to keep the peace for once. As soon as I got in Ignitus' line of fire, he blew out the fireball, unwilling to hurt me. Jake grumbled some curse words before shifting back to his regular size, the axe-hands of his disappearing as he did so. I let out a breath in relief and straightened, giving a pointed look at Ignitus once before turning to the yellow dog.

"We came here to find Finn, not to get into a fight. So, is he here?" I asked, my eyes already scanning the area for him.

"No, he's not. He went down to the Candy Kingdom to talk to Princess Bubblegum. Why do ya need him?" He asked, cooling down. I sighed.

"I'll tell you later. Come on, guys. We got a human to find."

James wriggled and ambled out the door, having not the slightest clue where he was going, but not caring at all. Ignitus was a little more reluctant, but ended up grudgingly agreeing as well. I said goodbye to Jake and we walked out the door, my mind mentally retracing my steps to locate the horribly intoxicating Candy Kingdom. At least now I could examine the candy people and somewhat know what I was looking for.

Ignitus was just as quiet walking away from Finn's treehouse as walking to it, but this time he was brooding instead of watching for enemies that weren't there. His flames seemed to darken with his mood, and now they were a more subdued maroon color, like that of drying blood.

Morbid thought, I know, but I didn't exactly grow up with crayons and coloring books to compare things to.

"What was that all about back there?" I asked the moody Flame Prince, keeping my eyes at the path ahead of us so that I wouldn't miss anything. Ignitus looked at me from the corner of his eye, and it was like we were back to being absolute strangers. I shook my head, letting a wry smile spread on my face.

"You don't have to tell me, Ignitus. But I'm pretty sure letting me in on why you guys seemed to be out for blood the second you set eyes on each other would be the wisest thing to do," I turned and looked at him expectantly. He set his jaw and faced away from me, his back ridged and his fists clenched. Obviously not the best topic at the moment, but I wanted to know. I waited patiently until he calmed down enough to speak.

"That mutt is the reason why my mother exiled me from the Fire Kingdom," he spat. It seemed even the birds went silent as I stared at him, taken aback by his bold statement.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's fine, Dez. It's over and done with now. You bringing it up didn't change anything, so you shouldn't feel sorry about it," he sighed, his body relaxing slightly, which I hoped was a good sign. "It was a couple years ago, anyway, so I guess it's not that important now. We've both gotten more mature with the years- well, at least I have- so it doesn't matter so much." I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything. He could think whatever he wanted to. I wasn't in charge of him.

We lapsed into an uncomfortable silence that was filled with all the words we wanted to say, but didn't. James seemed to comprehend what it was about, but he didn't look certain. It was one of the perks being a clueless child had, not that I was able to fully appreciate it for long.

The Candy Kingdom was just as sweet as I remembered, the air nearly gagging me as I stepped inside its pink walls. Ignitus didn't seem fazed by it, but James crinkled up his nose when he took a big whiff of the air. I scanned the area, watching as Candy People glanced over at us on their daily commutes around their spacious kingdom, never suspecting any trouble. And even though I knew exactly who the infected woman was, I couldn't help but look around trying to find her somewhere, staring at me like I was the freak of nature here. But she wasn't, and I had teeth in my backpack to prove that. I just hoped Finn was able to help me with it.

We made our way toward the castle, tiny bits of the ground melting with every step Ignitus took. I was afraid of that happening, but since I liked the jerk of a Flame Prince more than this sugary Hell-hole, I let it slide. If I was being honest, I probably wouldn't care if he shot a fireball at the castle's wall right now, I hated this place that much. A small, pot-bellied, red-striped butler answered not even two seconds after we had knocked on the castle door, his black, beady eyes evaluating us before speaking.

"Who are you, and what business do you have here?" His voice was high-pitched and squeaky, like that of an adolescent boy. Exchanging a quick glance with Ignitus, I turned to the little man.

"My name is Dez, and I'm looking for someone named Finn the Human. Is he in here?" I asked, trying to peer around him. His eyes widened after I said my name, his stubby nose flaring. He snapped the door closed, just barely letting me see his beady eyes through the crack as they narrowed.

"The Princess doesn't wish to see you at this time, good day!" He said quickly, even though it had nothing to do with what I asked. He then tried to close the door the rest of the way before I could say anything else. This was not the smartest thing for him to do, as it royally pissed me off.

I kicked out, connecting my old, worn boots with the candy door, breaking part of it off and scaring the crap out of the squat man, causing him to fall on his rear as the door swung open.

"You should really re-enforce these doors more," I commented as I walked in, James and Ignitus right behind you. James sniffed the dazed butler and patted his head sympathetically.

"It's okay, Red Stripe Man. Lady didn't mean to hurt you." I patted my thigh and urged them to follow me, anxious to find Finn. When we took off to look throughout the castle, the 'Red Stripe Man,' as James had called him, still hadn't recovered. Only a tiny part of my conscious felt sorry for him, though.

The castle was _huge_, and it was like running blindfolded in a labyrinth. It was obvious James was getting tired of just trotting down corridors, only to find out they were dead-ends and we had to go back. Ignitus was getting frustrated, and I was too. It was almost pointless to go on the way we were. We stopped at an intersection of the hallways, James' heavy breathing echoing around us loudly. I put my hands on my hips and pursed my lips, looking down each way as I mentally checked off every place we'd already been.

"This is hopeless!" Ignitus groaned, rubbing a hand through his flaming hair. "Why are we even looking for this guy anyway? What's the point?"

"The _point_ is to find _Finn,_" I growled, frustration evident in the way I set my jaw. "It's so I can get help uncovering something that needs to be uncovered. You're free to go if you want..."

"No," he immediately rejected, his arms crossed. I shrugged.

"Fine with me. Okay guys, I think we should split up. If we do, it'll just be that much more ground we'll be able to cover, and then we'll hopefully find him faster. James," I said, getting his attention, "I want you to go with Ignitus down that way. You do know what Finn looks like, don't you?" Ignitus snorted and rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath.

"As if I could forget..."

I pursed my lips, unsure how to handle this boy and his past, but James ended up deciding for me.

"Come on, Mr. Fireman! Let's go so we can get back to Lady faster!" He exclaimed, turning on his paw and ambling off, not even waiting for the brooding Flame Prince. I motioned for him to follow the energetic cub as I turned to go down yet another hallway. He sighed and jogged over to where James was currently sniffing things.

Every hallway looked the same as the one before, candy of all different flavors and texture making up everything around me. It was disorienting to say the least. I checked every room I came across, but most of them were empty except for a couple, where I found sleeping Candy People. _Where could Finn be?!_

I turned another corner, hoping that he was somewhere over in this new hallway, but instead coming face-to-chest with Prince Gumball. I leapt lithely back, my sword drawn and my eyes locked on my target. The pink prince held his hands up in surrender, just as surprised by our abrupt meeting as I was. Once my battle-ready brain put two and two together, I remembered that this male wasn't a threat. It looked as though his arms were as strong as wet noodles, so I grudgingly sheathed my sword and met the sea green eyes of the BubbleBitch's brother.

"Hello again, Miss Dez," he announced with a small smile, bending to kiss my hand just like when I first met him. "May I have the pleasure of knowing what reasons you have for gracing my kingdom with your presence?" It took me a moment to understand what he was asking of me, since I wasn't used to his way of speaking.

"I'm looking for Finn the Human, have you seen him?" The pink prince pursed his lips, tapping his chin as he tried to remember.

"Why, yes, as a matter of fact I have. May I ask what business you have with our young hero?" His clear eyes looked honestly curious, but the way his body language was slowly getting more ridged, I was starting to see past the innocence that he wore like a cloak, disguising the real man underneath. Acting like I didn't suspect anything, I merely smiled at him and lied through my teeth.

"Jake sent me to find him. He said that he found a new dungeon he wanted Finn to explore with him, so he sent me to find him since I had nothing better to do. So where have you seen him? Jake wants to get going before all the Giant Jelly Spiders go to bed." I must have been a pretty convincing liar, since his body relaxed and his smile wasn't so forced.

"Oh, if that's the case, then he's in the gardens with Bonnibel. She wanted to hang with him for the day, but if Jake really wants to go to this dungeon you were talking about, I'm sure she wouldn't mind..." He looked uneasily at the direction I assumed the gardens were located.

"Thanks, Prince Gumball!" I smiled at him once more before turning away and running to find Finn.

**Prince Gumball's POV**

"Thanks, Prince Gumball!" She smiled at me, her face as radiant as the sun when she turned away, looking for that stupid boy my sister had been obsessed with lately. It was almost sad that Bonnibel wanted this wonderful creature dead. She had so much potential. She could have even became my bride, if she had wished.

But no.

There was no reason to think of such silly things at a time like this. The girl was merely a pawn in the dangerous game my sister and I were playing. Nothing more, and nothing less. No need to mix my feelings into what had been set in motion when our parents were in power.

I knew right away that she had lied to me, but it was surprising how convincing it really was. If I hadn't been gifted with my brilliant mind, I'm sure I would have believed her in a heartbeat. This girl was smarter than she appeared to be, and at least twice as much as my sister thought she was.

Bonnibel was the one who hated her, and I loved my sister very much. She could be so delicate at one point, acting the part of a proper princess, but then the next she was this heated, vindictive woman who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. It was a wonder she didn't have any suitors.

Turning away, I walked back into the room I had left when I heard someone walking about. Locking the door behind me, I faced the poor young woman strapped to the steel table, her eyes watering as she cried. It was morbidly fascinating to watch as the tears streamed from her pale blue eyes down her creamy white face. She wasn't nearly as interesting as the other ones had been, but I knew she would be perfect. Her marshmallow-y soft body would turn hard and dry when I was done with her.

I put on my gloves and picked up the syringe, flicking the needle to prep it. The ghastly green liquid on the inside swished around, making me smile as I stepped closer to where the woman was lying. She shook her head back and forth as the tears poured down at a faster rate, since she had watched as I had administered the same thing to all the young women before her. I stroked her cheek gently, smiling reassuringly as I plunged the needle into her heart, infecting her with the virus Bonnibel had so lovingly created.

Her eyes went wide and unseeing, her immune system the first to shut down so that the virus could spread faster in her blood stream. I always enjoyed this part of the process. It made it seem as if they were reborn into new bodies, like when a chrysalis hatches into a butterfly. It was beautiful.

Bonnibel would be so proud of me. And I loved making her proud. Yes. I loved my sister very much.

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**A/N: **How was this chapter? I hope you guys liked the POV this time, because it is vital for this story. So if you don't like it, then I guess you shouldn't like me. Awww Shnap! :O

Sorry for such a long wait guys! I'll try to update as fast as I can, but I really can't promise anything.

By the way, today's my birthday! I thought we could all have a virtual cake together to celebrate! But I ate it... Sorry! Maybe next year!

Shout-outs to these amazing people for reviewing my story! : ATJKU, (special thanks to ParagonFlynn for the criticism), andrewkohn.549, TheMidgetWarrior, & S.A.D. Ecstasy.

Thanks for understanding, and I hope you all have a lovely day :) Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

Hello everyone. It's, uh...It's been awhile. And for that, I am somewhat sorry.

Things have, um...well, things have happened. I don't want to depress you with the stuff right now, so I'll do what I always do after our little chats at the beginning of a new chapter.

ONTO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I don't own Adventure Time ( ._.) *sigh*

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**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_Her eyes went wide and unseeing, her immune system the first to shut down so that the virus could spread faster in her blood stream. I always enjoyed this part of the process. It made it seem as if they were reborn into new bodies, like when a chrysalis hatches into a butterfly. It was beautiful._

_Bonnibel would be so proud of me. And I loved making her proud. Yes. I loved my sister very much._

* * *

**Dez's POV**

The gardens were exactly as I expected them to be; pink and made of candy. I could hear the giggling of what I could only assume to be the BubbleBitch distantly, and I knew that the Prince hadn't lied when he said they were here. I took off, making sure to keep light on my feet so they couldn't hear my approach. The high-pitched, nasally laughter was getting louder the closer I got, until finally I rounded a corner and there they were, Finn with an uncomfortable smile and the pink blob. She was all over Finn, her arm wrapped his shoulder as they sat on a bench, tears streaming down her face as she laughed at something that apparently hadn't meant to be that funny.

Finn saw me as soon as I saw them, and his smile widened until it actually looked genuine. He shrugged off the doting Princess and stood up, walking towards me. The BubbleBitch fell over, unprepared for his sudden departure. Her eyes flew open and she abruptly stopped laughing, her head snapping to look at what Finn had left her for. A silent snarl curled her lip as she glared at me, her hands angrily wiping away the tears her giggles had caused.

"Dez, what are you doing here?" Finn asked as he got closer.

"Yeah, what _are_ you doing here?" The BubbleBitch growled from her spot on the bench, obviously not pleased I had broken whatever awkward thing had been happening between them. I ignored her and focused solely on Finn.

"I came to find you, Finn. There's something I need your help with," I grabbed his hand and started pulling him. "Come on. We have to go, Finn."

A blush settled in on his cheeks, but he pulled away from me, causing me to look back at him in confusion.

"Can't you just tell me what it is here?" He asked shyly, the blush still there. The pink blob perked up, a malicious grin marring her face. She got up elegantly from the bench, smoothing down her ridiculously short dress no princess should be seen wearing.

"Yeah, why can't you just tell us right here?" She echoed, linking her arm with Finn's. The blush vanished instantaneously and he looked down to their intermingled arms, grimacing.

"Because this is something that only involves Finn, not you," I snarled. She raised her chin in defiance, her arm clutching Finn's tighter to her body.

"Finn's business is my business!" She shouted at me, her left eye twitching and her right hand clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Something was wrong with her eyes, I realized suddenly, something about the way they looked. Instead of the pissed-off look that normally was associated with her looking at me, it was cracked, as if her mind wasn't quite right. Like she had lost it along the way. It was a look animals got when foam started to bubble and froth at their mouths after being infected with rabies. It was so intense that it literally forced me to take a step back, it was that powerful of a look. She blinked, and the look was gone, and she was suddenly back to the way she was when I first met her.

"Uh, no it isn't," Finn said uneasily, prying her arm off of his own. "I'm sorry, Princess, but Dez needs me for a while. I'll meet up with ya later, yeah?" She nodded absentmindedly, her eyes slowly going out of focus.

"Sure, Finn. Whenever you can make it," she mumbled, smiling up at him as if in a daze. I was getting more than a little creeped out by her extreme behavior, something that was usually hard to do. But she was being so bipolar it was absurd. My skin started to crawl as I saw the utterly empty look in her eyes as she walked away, heading back towards the castle. Finn was completely oblivious to her odd behavior and instead focused on me.

"So, what was it that you needed help with?" He asked me casually as he started to walk to the garden's gate.

"I don't think it would be smart if I told you here. We just need to meet up with a few people and then we'll head back to your treehouse, okay?" I said as I followed him. His brow furrowed and he glanced back at me.

"Who do we need to meet up with?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth, James came bursting through the gate, a candy fish wriggling in his mouth. He side-stepped past Finn without a second glance and launched himself at me. I hit the ground hard, the air leaving me almost instantly. Finn let out a shout in surprise and pulled his sword out, ready to defend me from the bear cub.

Ignitus came running through the gate out of breath, his eyes scanning the area for something. They landed on Finn first, narrowing slightly before they continued on their path and found me, sprawled out on the ground with a _really _heavy brown bear cub squishing my internal organs as he shoved a still breathing candy fish in my face. He brushed past Finn, who had also narrowed his eyes until he saw who the Flame Prince was heading for.

"Don't touch her!" Finn yelled, trying to stop Ignitus from getting closer to me. He scoffed at Finn and took a step in my direction. "What did I just say?!" Finn yelled again, pointing his sword angrily at the fire elemental.

"Finn, stop it," I wheezed, wiggling myself out from under James before he could break anything important. He looked back at me questioningly, a confused expression contorting his bruised face. "These were who we needed to meet up with."

"_Him?_" He asked, pointing his sword in Ignitus' annoyed face. Ignitus shoved it out of the way and walked over to me, his chest seeming like it was more puffed out than before.

"Yeah, me. You got a problem with that, _Human?_" He spat as if it were disgusting to be such a thing. My lips thinned and my fists clenched, but I let it go. It was just an offhand comment, nothing against me. Finn caught my eye, but I just shook my head, telling him to let it go too.

"Well, since it appears that you've already met Ignitus, allow me to introduce my partner in crime- I mean, justice, or...whatever. This is James," I said, rubbing the bear cub's head affectionately.

"I cot a pifsh!" He exclaimed with his mouth full. He walked up to Finn and nudged his hand until he held it out. He dropped the slobbery fish in it like it was a present and smiled, taking a step back.

"Happy Birthday!" He sang in his little kid voice before prancing back to my side. Finn blinked uncertainly and looked down at the fish, which in turn looked up at him with its bug eyes.

"Uh, thanks, James...It's, um, delicious looking," he grimaced. James didn't seem to notice and just nodded happily. An odd sensation rushed over my body, and suddenly I knew we were no longer alone. Someone was close by, and I knew whoever they were, they were bad news. I put my hand on Ignitus' shoulder and got everyone's attention.

"Okay, we need to get going now, really," I pressed, glancing back behind us quickly to try and find whoever it was. There was nothing, and that's what made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. "Come on, guys," I said, leading the way. Surprised by my suddenness, but not so surprised to question it, they followed me, Finn and Ignitus keeping as much distance between each other as possible.

As we exited the Candy Kingdom, a sense of foreboding filled me, so strong it forced me to stop moving mid-step. Something was _really _wrong, and even James seemed to notice it. He cowered against my leg, his saucer-sized eyes focusing on some point to the left of us, in the woods. The hair on his back was standing straight on end, and it looked as though his stub of a tail had become a giant brown cotton ball. Something deep inside of me was screaming at me to run, as fast and as far as I could. But I was locked in place, my whole body ridged as I, too, watched the woods.

My body finally went into motion when it appeared, and even then it was only my arms as I drew my sword. Finn and Ignitus finally realized something was up right around this time as well, and they turned to stare at the creature that emerged from the woods. I gaped at it in horror, recognition hitting me along with the familiar squishing sound that had seemed to be ingrained into my mind. But, no. It couldn't be what I thought it was. Finn...He, killed it...

Didn't he?

I didn't have time to try to remember as the gelatinous monstrosity approached us, its glimmering body jiggling with every step it took. It was so much more disgusting during the daytime, now that I could see every little detail clearly. My eyes widened in realization as I stared at the beast, figuring out that it wasn't tree bark that made up its legs, but _peppermint_ bark. And the arms weren't just a darker shade than the rest of its revolting body, they were made from a completely different substance.

They were made of licorice.

_Red _licorice.

_IT WAS MADE OF CANDY._

"What the Glob _is_ that thing?!" Ignitus exclaimed, his hands balling into fire-y fists as he stared at the thing. I just shook my head, unable to comprehend what the Glob this thing was, and how it came to be. But one thing stood out to me more than everything else about the candy abomination, one thing that made me wonder why Prince Gumball was acting so off earlier. Its gelatinous body was made of bubblegum.

"What do we do?" James whispered, his front legs wrapped around one of my own. Finn and Ignitus both turned to me for direction, their heads moving simultaneously as if they thought of the same thing at the same time.

"We kill it," I said in a low voice, letting my bangs fall in front of my eyes as I shook James off of my leg. "Whatever you guys do, don't let it hit you with its hands."

The thing charged, letting out a low, gurgling roar that sent shivers down my spine at the same time the ground vibrated underneath me with every lumbering step it took. I yanked James by the scruff of his neck, not moving him far, but enough that he got out of the way just before the monster swung its arm. Finn wasn't so lucky.

He went flying through the air, his eyes wide as he somersaulted head-over-heels hundreds of feet away. He managed to land halfway decently, but his arm was a bloody mess. The candy creature moaned as its hand clenched and unclenched, its mouth trying to get every last drop of blood that came from Finn when it bit him.

"_Yessss...Human. So succulent...So fun to play with..." _The thing groaned, its body writhing in ecstasy. Ignitus looked at it in disgust and launched fireball after fireball at it, aiming for what he thought he could melt. The candy beast growled, the noise nauseating just to listen to, and swung its arms out, aiming to deflect the attack, and unknowingly giving me an opportunity I couldn't miss.

I remembered from our first fight that every time it moved a squishing, suction-y noise resounded from below its feet. That meant that the peppermint bark was just a shell to cover up something underneath that was more vulnerable than the rest of its enormous body. They could be the braces that held it up from the ground for all I knew. I could even be wrong, and then all it had to do was raise its leg and I would be squished like an unwanted bug. But, that didn't stop me from trying.

With as much stealth as I could muster, I strode towards it, ducking under its massive arms that were still deflecting Ignitus' hits, and getting in close as I raised my sword. Sending a quick prayer to Glob, I stabbed its leg, the blade of my sword going in surprisingly easy. The abomination shrieked, the ear-splitting scream that it had used last time to stop me. Finn fell to the ground beside James, his bloody hands covering his ears from the assault. Ignitus cursed, but didn't stop his barrage of fire on the creature. I shoved the blade in deeper, blocking out everything and focusing myself on this one task. My body was calm as I sliced to the right, cutting through the thin candy shell and revealing what was hidden beneath.

"_STOP! STOP!" _It screamed, its arms too massive to reach me when I was so close. They didn't bend like a normal arm did, and that was why it only swung them around when it wanted to hit something. Now that I was able to stop and actually evaluate my target, I realized how flawed it really was. It was like a creation gone bad. A mistake.

_Just like you..._ A soft voice whispered in my head, causing me to freeze and forget where I was standing. Finn let out a shout right before the thing lifted its leg, and I could only stare dumbly up at it as it came down.

At the very last second, cool arms encircled me, holding me close as I was pulled out of the way. As soon as the creature's foot hit the ground, the peppermint bark fractured, shattering it and causing the monstrosity to fall to the ground in agony. The ground shook violently after it hit, and its gummy body didn't take the impact well.

It was like there had been some sort of membrane surrounding its body, keeping in the almost liquefied state and making it almost like rubber in the way it bounced things right off of it. As soon as it lost its balance and could no longer keep itself upright, its body tumbled to the ground, breaking the membrane instantly. Everything that the membrane had held back came forth like a flood, and the once large abomination that had nearly killed me a couple days ago was turned into a near empty sack with bits of licorice and peppermint bark littered around it. The dripping eyes were gone, along with basically everything else. Even the mouths were gone. After a couple of seconds of just laying there, dying from the lack of internal body parts, all of what was left of the once huge monstrosity disintegrated, turning into piles of white sugar, just like the candy corn woman had.

"Are you okay?" A husky voice murmured in my ear, causing me to finally acknowledge who had basically just saved my life. Blood red eyes danced with something close to lust in their depths. That arrogant smirk laid upon his pale face, giving him an air of cockiness as we stared each other down.

"Marshall Lee?" I whispered, confused as to why he had appeared from nowhere. A large straw sunhat perched on his black locks, and black gloves that went up to his elbows were on his arms, concealing his skin from the unforgiving sun. He winked and lowered us from the air to the ground. I hadn't even noticed he had lifted me up, I was so focused on the candy creature.

"In the flesh," he grinned at me, holding me a little bit closer. Finn, Ignitus and James came running our way, a scowl on both of the humanoids' faces.

"Lady!" James yelped in relief, running as fast as his chubby little legs could take him. Marshall released me and watched as I dove towards the brown bear cub. I wrapped my arms tightly around him, somehow on the brink of tears even though nothing had happened to him. Why would I be sad at a time like this? My body was confusing me.

"Thank Glob you're okay," I found myself saying into his fur, rubbing my face into it to remember his scent. He giggled and nuzzled me back, licking me happily wherever he could. I didn't even mind the saliva.

Realizing how odd I was acting, I pulled back, not leaving a single trace of tears on my face to let the others know I had almost started crying. Brushing myself off, I turned to Finn and Ignitus, grimacing when I saw Finn's arm. It was worse than mine had been when it had taken its first taste of me that night. I'd have to help bandage that up later. Marshall Lee came up beside me and lightly rested his arm on my shoulders, meeting the other two boys' gazes with an impish smirk on his face.

"Hello, Human, Flame Prince," he acknowledged, nodding to each in kind. Finn grit his teeth and Ignitus just rolled his eyes, his flames burning a little bit brighter as his temper flared.

"What're you doing here, Vampire Brat?" Finn spat, glaring at him.

"Yeah, its daytime. Don't want you to 'accidentally' burn alive out here," Ignitus added bitingly as he stared at the arm around my shoulders. Their contempt for the mischievous vampire was painfully obvious, but Marshall didn't seem fazed. In fact, it seemed to only brighten his mood.

"Guys, knock it off!" I growled, shrugging the gloved arm off of me as I stepped towards them. Marshall Lee chuckled and grabbed my shoulder, stopping me before I hit someone.

"It's fine, Dez," he said, his eyes hardening ever so slightly. "They're just jealous," he whispered in my ear, his eyes locked on the boys to watch their reactions. I looked at him in disgust and took a step away from him. He blinked and looked back at me, curiosity making his face actually look innocent. He took a step closer as if to ask what was wrong.

"Get away from her!" Finn yelled, unable to contain his anger anymore. He drew his sword, but the vampire was too fast. Marshall zipped around him, grabbing the hand that was holding the hilt and squeezing until Finn had to drop it or risk breaking his hand.

"Hey!" Ignitus shouted, his fire blazing with his fury. He raised his arm to shoot at Marshall, but I snapped out of whatever daze I had been in and stopped him.

I leapt forward, grabbing hold of the temperamental Flame Prince's arm and yanking him away, disrupting his aim and causing him to miss Marshall and Finn by only a few inches. A hot, searing pain suddenly flashed through my hand, causing me to let go of Ignitus and stumble back in both shock and pain.

Four sets of eyes all turned to me simultaneously as I clutched my hand to my body, the second-degree burn already forming. The skin was beat red, and blisters were forming rather quickly. Ignitus' flames went down to barely anything as he looked at me in horror. Marshall Lee clenched his jaw as if it was him who was just burned. Finn rushed over to me, forgetting about his anger at Marshall as he tried to pry my hand away from me to get a better look.

"NO!" I exclaimed, leaping away from him quickly to avoid any more pain. I winced at the movement and almost fell to the ground from the sheer agony that seemed to have a ripple affect up my arm, as if my entire arm was burned instead of just my palm.

"I-I I'm sorry, Dez, I didn't-"

"It's fine," I whispered in a shuttering breath, my mind racing as I tried to remember if I had put my medicine in my backpack when I had fled from our home. "I-I just have to go now. I'll see you around..." And then I took off running, leaping right over the five foot tall piles of sugar with ease as I ran for the woods. I had to get my medicine. I had to get it. Jacqueline had always told me I needed the medicine, otherwise I would get hurt. Why hadn't I grabbed it?!

"DEZ!" The boys shouted after me, James going as far as trying to follow me before tripping over his own feet and face-planting. I couldn't go back. I had to get the medicine. Then, I would be stronger. I would be faster. I would be everything I was taught to be. I was getting weak.

_I needed it._

**Marshall Lee's POV**

The look on her face was something of torment, her pale green eyes holding something I'd never thought I see in their depths. Fear. She was scared. Her hand was already blistering and swelling, looking deeper than it probably was, but still pretty serious looking. The fire elemental looked horrified, as if he had just murdered her instead of just burning her. The human looked shocked, like he was unable to understand what had happened.

The human rushed to her, something only an idiot would have done when she was like this. All he did was spook her, like a broken twig to a deer. He tried to help her, but she freaked, apologizing before she started running at a breakneck speed, something that didn't seem quite natural for a human to possess. We all called out to her, trying to stop her from doing anything stupid, but it was pointless. The bear tripped over his own feet in his attempt at catching up with her. I watched with a little bit of awe as she cleared the five foot tall piles of sugar left behind by The Experiment. She was just so breathtaking when she moved, like the deer she seemed to be as spooked as.

The human and fire elemental were wrapped up in their own inner wars, and the bear was face down on the ground while sobbing softly. They didn't even notice when I flew up and over them, towards the forest she had just ran into. I hated having to weave in and out between the trunks, but I had to deal with it if I wanted to find her. She wasn't in the right state of mind, and from what I've seen of her, she needed to be as aware of herself as possible. Otherwise, trouble brews in her wake.

She really was an impressive girl. I don't know what it was, but something about her called to me, enticing me with those light green orbs of hers. She was everything I shouldn't want, but do. My heart beat only for her, literally. I knew it sounded cliché, but that's how I really felt. And I wanted to make sure nothing bad would ever befall her until my last breath.

I followed her scent easily, too easily. She must really be out of it if she was being this careless with her trail. She was running non-stop though, and as we were going further and further into the forest, the sun was getting lower and lower until it disappeared below the horizon.

"How can she keep going for so long?" I muttered to myself, ducking before my head could be taken off by a tree branch. This was ridiculous. Sure, I could keep going this long easily, but I was a vampire. She was just a human. Her body wasn't built to withstand this amount of running. Something was wrong. Her scent was getting fainter, until I couldn't find it no matter how hard I sniffed. Had I passed her or something?

I stopped and retraced my steps until it got so powerful it was like she was right next to me. I turned to my left, noticing it got a little bit stronger at this direction. I lowered myself to the ground and snuck over to some bushes, using my night-vision as I peered through the leaves.

There she was. She was standing frozen, looking over a crusty pool of blood that had long since dried by now. It didn't even smell appetizing anymore. Her hands balled into fists as tears welled in her eyes. It must have meant a lot to her if she was willing to cry over it. I zeroed in on her right hand, wincing for her when her nails dug into the blisters. I had only one thought running through my head as I observed her: Why had she come _here_ when all it held for her was pain?

Her head snapped up and she looked away from the blood, her eyes scanning the tree line opposite of us. My ears perked up and listened for what she seemed to have heard.

Footsteps. Coming our way. Whomever they belonged to apparently wasn't used to walking in a forest-like environment, since they seemed to be stepping on every leaf and twig they came in contact with. Dez drew her sword with her left hand, but it was obvious she was less skilled with it. I readied myself in case she needed my help.

I blinked and stared, speechless, at whom it was who emerged from the shadows.

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**A/N: **How did you guys like it? It's over 1,000 words bigger than any of my other chapters for this story, and that was also part of the reason I was so late to update. Sorry for wanting to make this a special treat for ya'll.

So, things haven't exactly been good 'round here lately. Writing is my escape from the troublesome things that occur randomly in my life, but sometimes, it gets so bad I can't even think straight enough to write. Too many thoughts for one head to contain, I tell you!

Shout-outs this chappie for the following: ZeldaGurl123, DaryCandy, TheAnnonymousOne, vhdc1234, TheMidgetWarrior, closet nerd 939, and last but not least, The Loved and Unloved. :)

Thanks to all the people who have followed and favorited this as well! I like to think of ya'll as 'The Silent Watchers.' So, that is was I will refer to you from now on :D Yay!

Thanks for the birthday wishes guys! It means a lot :)

See ya soon.

Bye.


	14. Chapter 14

ONTO THE STORY

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time. Never will I _ever_ own Adventure Time. _Ever_.

( ._.)

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**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_Footsteps. Coming our way. Whomever they belonged to apparently wasn't used to walking in a forest-like environment, since they seemed to be stepping on every leaf and twig they came in contact with. Dez drew her sword with her left hand, but it was obvious she was less skilled with it. I readied myself in case she needed my help._

_I blinked and stared, speechless, at whom it was who emerged from the shadows._

* * *

**Dez's POV**

I don't remember much from when I started running. Everything was just a blur of purples and greens as I ran through the forest, my feet the only things guiding me to my destination.

It was just as I remembered. Our little shelter towards the right, our sleeping mats still lying inside. The campfire had burnt itself out a long time ago, long forgotten food eaten by scavengers some time before I arrived. The table was still flipped over. The blood was still there.

I froze and stared at it, my body locking up as the memories flashed before my eyes. The sword. The men. The storm. Her face. The smell. The flash. The slash. The fear. The blood.

Tears formed in my eyes and streamed down my face, an overwhelming sadness washing through my body. The very sword that had ended her life was the very sword that I had used to end countless others. I tried not to think about where her body had gone after I had left. I hadn't had time to bury it, since I was still frightened of the storm and the thought of the men coming back for me at the time.

A twig snapped in the distance, followed by the rustle of leaves and another twig snapping. I whipped my head toward the noise and drew my sword, cursing myself for not grabbing the medicine when I had the chance. I was getting weaker by the second. I tried to put on my most menacing face as whoever it was appeared from in between the trees.

"Hello, Dez," he said in a pleasant voice, giving me his best smile. I relaxed a little bit, but didn't let my guard down or put my sword away. Why would he be here? Out of all places, he came to my old home. In the woods. Just when I got here after over a week of being gone. There was no way this was just a coincidence.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, angling my burnt hand so he couldn't see the injury. He smiled politely as he slowly looked around, to the average person appearing as if he were just admiring the scenery. But I wasn't the average person, so I figured out quickly he was checking to make sure we were alone. He turned back to me, that polite smile still on his face.

"I came to find you, my dear," he said charmingly, bending down to kiss my right hand. My whole body went ridged as his slender fingers brushed against my palm, and I mentally began screaming in my head. He seemed to have no idea how much pain he was causing me at the moment.

"Why would you need to find me, Prince Gumball?" I asked, retracting my hand from his touch as casually as possible before he had the chance to kiss it. He frowned slightly and straightened, adjusting his shirt-thing as he cleared his throat.

"You're a very special girl, Desdemona Royalle," he said, avoiding my question. My blood ran cold as I stared at him, backing up to put some space between us. He frowned again, taking a step closer to stay near me. "What's wrong?"

"How do you know my name?" I growled, my eyes locked with his. He froze, his face blank as he realized what he had said. He blinked and his face smoothed over, a pleasant smile playing at his lips as he proceeded to lie through his teeth.

"I've heard your friends call you it before, so I figured it was appropriate to assume that was your name. It's not like it was a big deal or anything." I took a couple steps back this time, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as I stared at him. I raised my sword.

"No one knows my full name. I haven't told it to a soul," I said solemnly, my hand tightening its grip on the sword. He froze again, and I could almost see the gears working in his head as he tried to think of a way to talk himself out of this. He took another step closer to me, smiling that same damn smile yet again.

"No, there has to be some mistake. I specifically heard–"

"You couldn't have heard it from anyone, Gumball!" I shouted, silencing him in the middle of his sentence. This was getting too freaky. I again questioned how he had ended up here, and why he was here in the first place. He sighed, pinching the place in between his eyebrows as if he had a headache.

"I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, but if you're going to be difficult…" He trailed off, not giving me any time to contemplate what that meant before he was speaking again. "Raoul! Jasper! Come in here this instant!" He yelled behind him, as if scolding a small child.

Silently, as if they were a part of the trees themselves, they emerged from the shadows, their stench flooding my nostrils as soon as they stepped into the clearing. The horrible memories came soon afterwards, of sweaty, wet, hairy arms encircled me, trapping me and forcing me to watch as the only family in the world was murdered right before my eyes. My sword wobbled as I stared at them in horror, fear induced tears brimming in my eyes.

"Hey there, Princess. How are ya doin' these days?" The bigger one asked. He was the one who had used her own sword against her. My hand squeezed the handle of my sword, my knuckles turning white as I clenched my jaw.

"You," I whispered, only able to utter that one word in the condition I was in. I shifted my gaze back to the pink Prince, anger making my green eyes flash.

"What are they doing here?" I asked in a hushed voice, unable to raise it higher in fear I would start bawling. A nonchalant look crossed the candy man's face as he met my eyes unflinchingly.

"To help me take you home, of course," he said as if it were obvious. The two mutants cracked their knuckles and grinned at me wickedly, and it made me sick to my stomach.

"Home? I don't have a home. At least, not anymore…" I trailed off as I gazed around us at the old campsite. The pink man snorted, a surprisingly obnoxious sound coming from someone normally so proper in his behavior.

"This was never your home, dear Desdemona," he said solemnly, so sure of himself even though I had just met him a couple days ago. He clapped sharply, drawing in the two goons' attention to himself.

"Okay, I am going to give you two options. One, you come with me quietly and don't make a fuss on the way to your home. Two, you resist, and then I will be forced to use force to make you co-operate. Option number two is much more unpleasant than number one, so I suggest you come quickly and quietly, and then this will all be over and everything will be fine." I looked him straight in the eye and silently raised my sword, a wordless display of which of his 'options' I had picked. He sighed.

"You know, I had a feeling you wouldn't go easy. I guess we just didn't use the right genes," he shook his head, but I furrowed my brow in confusion. What was he blathering about?

"Raoul, Jasper, fetch her and then you'll get your reward. Just don't hurt her too badly. She wants to see her before we do anything too rash," he instructed them, waving at me before letting the horrible Mountain Men loose.

"This is going to be good, Boss," the smaller one said to the larger one. He had been the one holding me back that night.

"Shut up and fight, Jasper," Raoul growled, rushing at me as soon as the words left his mouth. I ducked and rolled to the side, bringing my sword up just in time to deflect Jasper's own sword before it sliced me in half. I held my ground as long as I could, but from the corner of my eye I saw Raoul getting ready to charge again, meaning if I moved Jasper could make one quick slice and cut right through me like a stick of butter, and if I stayed Raoul would spear me on the spot with his wickedly sharp horns. I was trapped, and I needed my medicine badly.

A sharp hiss came from my right, one that was undeniably familiar. Jasper and Raoul whipped their heads to the side to look at it, their hyper-sensitive ears literally forcing them to stop what they were doing to listen. It was one of the few flaws that defined them as Mountain Men. I took this as my chance to spring away, hurrying to get to my old sleeping mat before they tried to attack me again.

Realizing that I was away from his deadly goons, the BubbleBitch's insane brother whistled sharply, getting their attention away from the bushes and back onto me. I was so close, just a few feet away from the vials. My legs were getting tired, and my breaths were coming out in sharp pants. So close…

But not close enough.

Jasper wrapped his bulging arms around me, squeezing as hard as he could to make me submit. I choked and tried to breathe, but he was constricting my lungs to the point where I thought I was going to pop. I dropped the sword, unable to keep my hand on it from all the pressure. Raoul leaped forward and scooped it up, a wolfish grin on his disfigured face. He met my wild gaze and the grin grew wider, and instantly I knew what he was going to do.

"Don't worry, Princess. It'll only hurt for a second," he chuckled, holding the blade out to examine it. "You know, you really have taken great care of this old hunk of junk. A shame all your efforts were in vain. I think it will be a nice addition to my collection, don't you agree, Jasper?"

"Yeah, Boss! It'll be great!" Jasper chortled, his whole body vibrating with the noise. Raoul gave him a somewhat disgusted look before turning back to me.

"Tell your mother we say hi!" He chuckled, as if it were an inside joke. He raised the sword I had grown so accustomed to it was almost like an extension of my arm. I decided if I was going to go down, I would do it on my own terms. So, I stared him down. I stopped struggling against Jasper and just stared at my mother's killer as he began the swing down that would end my life as I knew it. I took comfort in the thought that no one would be able to see me as I struggled to take my last breath before Death took me away.

That hiss from before came again, louder this time. The Mountain Men couldn't help but at least glance over to where the sound was coming from, and suddenly Jasper became spooked. He let out a high-pitch whine before dropping me and scrambling away, his head and tail bowed in terror. Raoul's eyes widened and he turned to fully face the creature, holding my sword defensively in front of him.

Marshall Lee was crouched down in front of a bunch of bushes, his eyes not the rubies they usually were, but the demon eyes that instilled fear into the faint of heart. He hissed again, his eyes widening as if he were a cat and they were his prey. He stalked forward, causing Raoul's legs to wobble and Jasper to piss himself.

I was one my hands and knees on the ground, my chest heaving as oxygen flowed into me. I just couldn't get enough air and had to keep taking deep breaths just to get back to normal. I shifted my weight so it wasn't fully on my burned hand, but that didn't help much and the pain was still excruciating. If only I had my medicine!

"I-I-It's one of T-Them, Boss," Jasper yelped, taking a step back and slipping in his own puddle.

"You think I don't know that?!" Raoul growled back, acting as tough and arrogant as he could even though he was shaking like a leaf. Pink Blob Number Two's face became red as fury filled him, and he ended up glaring at the two goat men.

"What the Glob do you two think you are doing? _KILL HER_!" He shouted, gesturing madly at me. Jasper scrambled to his feet and held his hands out in an 'I surrender' kind of way.

"I-I didn't sign up for this!" He squeaked, looking up to meet Raoul's eyes one last time before turning tail and running away. "Sorry, Boss!" He shouted over his shoulder as he went.

By now Marshall had made it to my hunched form, his eyes never leaving Raoul. Even though the way he moved was strong and purposeful, when he placed his pale hand on my arm it was gentle and delicate. He didn't say a word as he placed himself in front of me, preventing Raoul from getting anywhere near me. This obviously didn't please the mutant of a man.

"What do you think you're doing, _Vampire_?" He spat, acting as if the name were a bad taste in his mouth. "Can't you see I'm doing something here?"

Marshall Lee cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing to slits as he slowly stalked closer to the goat-man. Raoul's legs started shifting from side to side as his anxiety level rose, his dirt caked hooves barely touching the ground before ascending again. Prince Gumball was nearly beside himself in rage, and I could almost see steam shooting from his ears.

"Are you _kidding_ me right now?! I thought you could kill anything!" He shrieked at Raoul, who was getting antsier the closer the vampire got.

"You didn't say anything about Vampires!" Raoul squeaked back in a very high-pitched voice, almost sounding like that of a little girl's. The Candy Kingdom's Prince's face turned purple and he shook his head, muttering things to himself as he strode over to the Mountain Man.

"If you have to do something, you might as well do it yourself," he growled, all traces of his once charming self gone. He snatched my sword away from the terrified goat-creature and swung it in a long arc in front of himself, trying to keep Marshall Lee at bay as he maneuvered himself closer to me.

"See ya!" Raoul said, bolting the opposite way Jasper had, little brown pellets falling in his wake. Prince Gumball kept his eyes locked onto the crouched vampire, slowly moving to the side so he could get around him to me.

"Now, Marshall, we are both very respectable Princes of our own realms, one of us more so than the other, but that's beside the point. Why is it you're causing me so much trouble over a puny human girl? She can't mean anything to a cold-hearted vampire of your status," he said smoothly, his skin slowly fading back to the pink as he collected himself. Marshall hissed, his nimble fingers morphing into claws as he moved with him, keeping himself between us.

"Unless…" The pink man smiled, a mean look gleaming in his eyes. Marshall snarled like an animal, his entire body shuddering as he started transforming. He turned into a giant bat-like creature that I remembered fighting when we had first met.

I shakily got to my feet, my eyes turning away from the impeding brawl that was inevitable and focused back on the small tent I grew up in. The vial that held my medicine was hidden underneath my sleeping mat, its milky green contents my saving grace. Taking one last glance back at the boys, I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and make it to the tent.

**Marshall Lee's POV**

"You love her, don't you, Vampire Boy?" The ugly little pink boy taunted, giving me that arrogant smirk that made my blood boil, if it were still pumping through my veins, that is. My eyes flashed in anger and I swung my clawed hand at him, hoping to slice him into little bits. But then, faster than I could blink, Dez's sword shot up, blocking my attack and creating a little cut in my palm. I hissed in shock and pain and glared at him, hatred brewing deep inside me as he twirled it idly, that cocky smirk now even wider on his smug face.

"I bet you're wondering how such a simple sword could create so much pain from a single cut, aren't you?" He asked slyly, looking at me like I was nothing but dirt to him. I simply growled In return. He twirled the sword again and watched it as he spoke again.

"It's a holy sword you know. That's why it's so effective against evil creatures such as you. One cut is all it takes to bring the most powerful to their knees in agony," he smiled, turning back to me with demented glee. "Oh, Marshall, I'm going to enjoy slicing her into pieces while you're helpless to watch. I'm sure Sister would enjoy it, too, but this is something that needs to be done now. Come on, Vampire Boy; come closer so I can get a more direct hit on you!"

He swung the sword at me in a quick and precise arc aiming for my throat, but I was able to leap back just in time so that the tip of the blade to barely scrap the skin on my abdomen. The pink boy chuckled darkly, his eyes darkening in delight as he watched me hold my arm over the cut. It was burning like crazy even though it was just a scrape, so I knew he hadn't lied about the sword being holy, or at least effective against beings like myself. But, what I didn't get was why it didn't have the special engravings or designs that normally marked a sword as holy.

"Poor little Marshall Lee…He can't even get his own mother to love him. So how does he expect Desdemona, the Perfect Specimen, to ever return his love?" He jeered at me, that stupid knowing look on his face when my fists clenched tighter and my body tensed up.

"She'll never love you back, you know," he continued nonchalantly, knowing full-well how his words were affecting me. "We didn't create her to love. We created her to fight, and to kill. So it's not even plausible for her to return your feelings, or anybody else's for that matter," he added towards the end, a forlorn look crossing his face momentarily before changing back to a silent smugness.

As for me, I wasn't angry anymore. Instead, I was confused. What did he mean about her being the, 'Perfect Specimen,' or how, 'we created her'? He seemed to have realized what he had said a moment after I did, and suddenly he was pointing the sword at me in his no-nonsense demeanor that I had come to know from all the years of living near him.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" He asked in a harsh voice, his eyes cold as they glared up at me. I positioned myself to be able to either run away or charge and nodded. _What did he know about Dez anyway? _I thought to myself._ Nothing, that's what!_

We began trading blows, my hatred for him boiling up and giving me strength to continue to fight even after I couldn't feel half of my body anymore, just a burning sensation that made me weak. If only it had been a full moon tonight instead of a couple of days ago.

"What's the matter, Marshall Lee? Does it _hurt_?" He purred, slowly tracing his finger over the edge of the blade, causing a thin line of melted sugar to appear on his skin. I growled at him but didn't move any closer, since my legs were basically leaden with the burn, and it only caused him to laugh. "Only one more cut should do. And then, I'll let you watch as I paint the ground red with her blood!" He yelled as he ran forward, the blade glinting in the moonlight as he raised it, and I couldn't help but think that he was actually crazy enough to do it.

A flash of grey and blue caught my eye as it streaked across the small clearing, coming at us at a ridiculously fast rate that shouldn't even be possible for someone other than a vampire to possess. I felt a smile slowly spread on my face as my highly trained eyes focused in on the flash's form. The way her hair flowed behind her and her feet barely touched the ground was unmistakable, and as I turned back to the satanic Candy Prince, I knew that Dez wasn't going down without a fight.

**Dez's POV**

There it was. Right where I had left it all those nights ago. The little vial and little syringe that would help me become what Jacqueline always wanted me to be. Invincible. Powerful. Strong. All I had to do was stick myself with the needle, and it would all be back again. Fire wouldn't burn me anymore.

With expert fingers I stuck the syringe into the vial and pulled up on the plunger end, sucking up a little over half an ounce of the medicine. That's all I needed. I flicked the needle to prep it and stuck my arm out, aiming for one of my more obvious veins so that it would get into my bloodstream faster. The ghastly green liquid swished around reassuringly before slowly draining out of the end of the needle and into my arm. I could already feel the power as it surged through my veins.

A numbing sensation filled me, and I patiently waited for it to pass as the medicine did its magic. It was always like this. Ever since I was a small child and Jacqueline had to administer it herself it had always done this. It used to scare me how my body couldn't move for a little bit after the medicine started to take effect, but now it was kind of calming and reassuring since I knew I would get stronger again.

I could hear the sounds of grunts and laughter as they rang out from behind me with wonderful clarity, and I would have started laughing in joy if it hadn't been for the sound of skin being sliced open to penetrate my ear drums as well. As soon as I was able to move I whipped around, my eyes locking onto Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball as Marshall was on his knees, his Bat Form fading away as he transformed back into himself. Prince Gumball was now running straight towards him, my beloved sword held high in his hands as he aimed for Marshall's neck.

I bolted to my feet and started running, pushing myself as fast as I could as to get my sword away from the pink boy. No one was allowed to touch it but Jacqueline and me. _No one._

Marshall Lee saw me coming and turned to look at me, his bright red eyes wide in shock as he slowly started to smile. I didn't know what the vampire was smiling for, nor did I really care, all I really wanted at the moment was to get my sword away from the crazed Candy Kingdom Prince before he could defile it any more than he already had.

I leapt lithely into the air, aiming for a surprise attack from above to try and get my sword back. The Prince stopped just in time to see me for a split second before he was lying flat on his back, one hand pressing into the pressure points near his throat, the other blocking the circulation to the arm he was holding my sword with. His sea green eyes stared right into my pale green ones and he smiled softly.

"_Just perfect_," he murmured, his eyelashes fluttering for a moment before closing. He fell limp underneath me and his grip relaxed on the hilt of the blade, and I knew he was unconscious. I deftly picked up the sword and strapped it to my hip, glad it was back where it belonged. Then, I turned around to face the vampire, who was trying to get to his feet, but was failing every time. A weird sympathetic feeling filled me, but I pushed it away before it could cause too much damage. Feelings were weak. I wasn't weak.

"C'mon already, get up! He won't be asleep for much longer," I said, grabbing a hold of his arm to help him up, "I didn't put much force into it when I pressed his pressure points."

I pulled his arm over my shoulders to support him, knowing it would only slow us down, but for some reason I felt the need to take him with me. It was strange, at least to me it was. I'd never thought to save anybody else but myself for so long. I was even taught by Jacqueline that it was every man for themselves if it really came down to it.

The vampire smiled softly to himself, his fangs just barely glinting in the moonlight. The arm I had wrapped around my shoulders tightened a little, and it made me a little uncomfortable. What did he think he was doing? But I never said a word about it as I helped him along; glancing behind us every so often to make sure we weren't being followed.

I discreetly brushed my hand along the bulge in my pants pocket, a warm, reassuring feeling filling me as I did so. As long as I had my medicine, I would never be weak again.

**Prince Gumball's POV**

So beautiful.

So strong.

So _perfect_.

She was everything we had hoped she would be. The Perfect Specimen. She was a wonderful mistake, if I did say so myself. Her body strong and curvy, her hair long and wild, her speed unmatched, her determination a fiery wave that would burn anything and everything in its path until she got what she wanted.

So beautiful.

Sometimes I thought Sister was only jealous of her beauty, another delightful flaw in her make-up. She wasn't supposed to be beautiful, but she had been. Oh, so pretty. But Sister was getting agitated. She wanted my Perfect Specimen gone already. But I couldn't do it. Sure, I had told the vampire I would, and I had promised Sister I would, but I couldn't. Not yet. Not when she was just reaching her perfection. The perfection Father had wanted for so long.

So strong.

She was so strong. J and Father had always marveled at how well she developed from how weak she had been as an infant. I'd heard the stories as I, too, grew up, but now that I was able to interact with her did I fully realize her capabilities. She had been trained well. Her body was a machine, moving with such grace and easiness that it was hard to believe her as merely a human.

_So absolutely perfect._

Everything about her was poetry in motion; everything flowed freely, even when she was weak. Even when she was frightened. Even when she was pressing into my neck as she protected the vampire she no longer held any emotion for. Her strength had returned, and with it her emotions were withdrawn. This was so she wouldn't be held back by anything. It pained me that she would never look at me the way she had the other human, or the fire elemental, or even the vampire. It was so damn frustrating! Out of anyone she could ever be at least a little bit interested in, it should be me! I understood her the most! I knew everything there was about her! I knew everything, yet it wasn't enough. But it would have to be for me. Maybe this is why Sister wanted her gone so badly? Because even though she would never accept my affections, my own were only there for her. Was this why I wanted the vampire to suffer since he also held her in such high regard?

My thoughts grew fuzzy as I looked into her bright green eyes, their brilliant color rivaling even my own. I smiled ruefully at her, knowing she had taken the injection all on her own this time. She was finally beginning to accept it, and soon enough she would become the absolutely mindless killing machine she had been mutated to be. That's why I wanted to wait.

Sure, Sister wouldn't like it, and I loved my sister. I loved her so much. She knew that. She would understand.

I would make her understand.

My eyes started fluttering shut as she pushed my pressure points, but I still smiled in spite of it.

_Just perfect._

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**A/N: **Hey guys! I know its been awhile, but now that everything is finally settling down again, I can started writing more. I think. Ya never know!

I don't think any of you can see the word count on this, but let's just say its well over 5,000 words. This is THE longest chapter I have ever written for a FanFiction to date. I don't know about you guys, but I feel a little bit proud of myself!

Sorry if you didn't like the jumping around of POV's, but I just felt like you all needed some more insight on things, and switching POV's made that even more possible, since they would know things Dez wouldn't. *hint hint wink wink nudge nudge ;)*

Anyways, I can't believe I already have 50 reviews from you guys! You all are amazing, even you, Silent Watchers! Virtual cookies for all! *tosses a fresh batch in the air for you all to catch*

Thanks for waiting and reading and liking and supporting this story :) I smile every time another email alerts me someone favorited or followed or reviewed this story :) Oh, and sorry for any mistakes that might still be in here. This is a freshly finished chapter, and if you lean in real close, you can still feel the warmth from my lightning fast typing from the screen. I just wanted to get this out to you as quick as possible. If you do find any mistakes, PM me and tell me where they are, and I'll fix them as soon as possible!

Shout-outs to these amazing people for reviewing! ZeldaGurl123 and TheMidgetWarrior! And thanks for the suggestions, TheMidgetWarrior, they really helped :)

And thanks to all you Silent Watchers out there!

Okay!

Goodbye!


	15. Chapter 15

Hello my fellow FanFiction readers. It has been _wayyyy_ too long, and for that I have to apologize. This wasn't in my plans to happen.

I'll see you at the bottom.

ONTO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time, only Dez and everyone else I created. Yesm.

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_My thoughts grew fuzzy as I looked into her bright green eyes, their brilliant color rivaling even my own. I smiled ruefully at her, knowing she had taken the injection all on her own this time. She was finally beginning to accept it, and soon enough she would become the absolutely mindless killing machine she had been mutated to be. That's why I wanted to wait._

_Sure, Sister wouldn't like it, and I loved my sister. I loved her so much. She knew that. She would understand._

_I would make her understand._

_My eyes started fluttering shut as she pushed my pressure points, but I still smiled in spite of it._

_Just perfect._

* * *

Every light in the treehouse was on, signaling that its occupants were most likely still awake, and were waiting for something. _Most likely us,_ I assumed. Marshall Lee hadn't seemed too keen of going to this place, more than once commenting how much better going to his residence would be, but I ignored him. This wasn't the time to be picky.

The vampire still wasn't able to quite walk on his own yet, but a small amount of strength had returned to him. That was good. It meant that my beloved sword hadn't been tainted completely from the pink man's sinister touch. He tried so hard to not make a sound to alert me of the pain he was no doubt in, but ever once and awhile he would let out a little grunt or groan at the pain it caused him to move. Poor creature.

I hobbled us over to the front door of the treehouse rather quickly and opened the door with inviting myself in. I glanced around the empty room with pursed lips, unable to find anything that would give me the head's up that someone was in here. I found it a little odd, but didn't voice my suspicions as I half-dragged half-carried the wounded vampire over to the couch I had at one point been kissed on.

I unhooked his arm from my shoulders and let him sit down, my mind already forgetting about him in favor of examining the current area we were in. Why were the lights on and nobody in the living room? If they were waiting for something, the logical thing most creatures would do was wait where the person or thing was the most familiar with. Marshall Lee hissed suddenly, breaking me out of the daze I had apparently been in.

"Damn, this hurts," he grumbled, trying to move his legs and arms only to hiss again. I rolled my eyes but decided to take pity on the poor vampire. He seemed more angry that he couldn't really move than anything.

I plopped myself down on the coffee table directly in front of him, startling him into looking at me as I began rifling through my backpack. Once my hand had enclosed on the hard little box I needed, I pulled it out, displaying it for the vampire to see. He blinked and looked at it curiously.

"What is that?" He inquired, trying to raise his arm to point at it but only managing to cause more pain to himself. I sighed, already tired of his vulnerability.

"Something to make you stop whining," I muttered almost to myself as I opened the box. He heard me, of course, and frowned, giving me a weird look I decided to ignore.

"This is gonna hurt," I admitted as I unscrewed the lid and dapped my fingers into the dark green ointment. His brow furrowed and he looked at me uncertainly, like he wasn't sure whether or not to let me do this to him. _Oh well,_ I thought with a mental shrug as I lathered the healing lotion onto the first of his cuts.

His eyes widened and turned demon as he hissed, his arm tightening and relaxing in rapid succession as the ointment worked its magic. I wasted no time as I quickly applied the ointment to all of the cuts I could see. He groaned and fell back against the couch, his eyes fluttering from the pain as the lotion cleaned the cuts of all the bad bacteria and dirt that had gotten in them.

Soon enough, however, he relaxed, and I knew the ointment had begun its healing process. I looked him over with a clinical eye to try and find any more slashes or injuries caused by my sword, pausing when I caught sight of his hand. I carefully took hold of it and turned it over, palm up, to examine the cut. The breath caught in the young vampire's throat, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

"This was the first hit, wasn't it?" I asked him as I delicately examined it. He blinked and peered curiously at me, shifting his gaze between his hand and my face.

"Yeah, but how did you know that?"

I put his hand in my lap and pointed out the little black vein-like things that branched out from the sides of the split skin. The wound itself was also darkening in color, meaning that the cut had been there for quite some time. I told him as much.

"This will hurt more than any of the other ones did, so you better brace yourself," I warned before applying the healing lotion to it.

His muscles locked up and his eyes went wide, a low growl rumbling up from his chest as the lotion did its work. I held on tightly to his wrist, forcing him to keep his hand open so he wouldn't disturb it. I had to admit, this vampire was quite strong when faced with mind-blowing agony. No wonder he held up so long against my sword.

This struggle lasted only a few minutes before he went slack and began breathing normally again. I scraped lightly away at the remaining ointment, not surprised that the cut had vanished under its care. He looked down at his hand in amazement, tilting it this way and that as if to check if it were an illusion or something. I wiped my hands off on the bottoms of my jeans and re-packaged the container, cleaning up.

The front door flew open and Finn stalked in, followed quickly by Jake, Ignitus and James. Finn looked anxious, as well as the others, and Marshall and I looked over at them curiously.

"Did you have to bring her with us?" Ignitus growled, his jaw working as he questioned Finn. Finn shrugged in response, apparently not even noticing us even though we were right there.

"I thought she would be able to track her down, alright? Man, how does Dez put up with your grouchiness all the time?" He muttered, turning to walk further into the room as his eyes locked onto us. Ignitus turned to tell him his two cents when he noticed he was staring at something. So, naturally, he turned to see what it was.

"Dez?" He asked in a rough voice. I stood up and turned to face him, my shoulders squared and my hand on the hilt of my sword.

"Dez!" Finn exclaimed, a grin quickly spreading on his face. James poked his head around Finn's legs, eyes widening when he saw me standing there. He leapt forward with a sudden burst of energy and jumped onto me, knocking me to the ground and slamming my head against the floor.

"Lady, you came back!" He giggled in between licks as he slobbered all over my face. "I thought you wouldn't never come back! I was so worried."

My head throbbed painfully and I grimaced, pushing the obnoxious cub off of me and onto the floor. He hit it with a thud, blinking in confusion before looking up at me with tears in his eyes. It struck a chord deep inside of me, and remorse began seeping into my conscious. He hadn't deserved that.

_Yes he did, _a voice whispered maliciously in my mind, _He needs to learn that not everything in life is as sweet as it appears._

"What did you do that for?" Ignitus asked incredulously, staring at me like I was a stranger to him. James sniffled and the tears started falling. I held a hand to my head, trying to think straight through the weird amount of pressure inside my head. It was like there was a battle of some sort going on in there.

"Hey, are you alright?" Jake asked, finally entering the room. I forced a smile and nodded, figuring it would be better to play this off than make a big show of it. But then my brow furrowed as the pressure only increased, and it was like my gaze was forced down to look at James. It was like my brain was a rubber band, and the pressure was it being stretched to its limits.

"Dez?" Marshall Lee asked hesitantly, gently resting his hand on my arm.

I wanted _so_ _badly_ just to lean into his touch- _no, no one is allowed to touch me_- but he was being so nice- _no, emotions are weak!_

I shrugged off his hand and backed away, my breathing becoming ragged as the walls seemed to close in on me. Everyone was looking at me in concern, even James, but it was too much for me to handle. Too much emotion.

Fight. I need to fight. To kill. No emotions. Simple. Clean. _FIGHT_.

"I-I'm going outside for a while. Be right back," I stated quickly, the words practically tripping over themselves as I tried to spit them out.

"But, Dez-" Finn called, but I blocked him out as I bolted past all of them and out the door. I whipped my head back and forth, trying to figure out where I was going through the full-out war going on in my mind. My gaze settled on the roof of the treehouse, where no one was, and no one could bother me. _Perfect_.

I took a few running steps and jumped, gripping the first branch I came in contact with and using my momentum to swing onto another branch. The use of my pent up energy gave the pressure a little bit of release, but not enough that I could think any straighter.

The air seemed cooler on top of the treehouse, fresher. I breathed it in deeply, calming myself down as I sat down on the roof. I could see everything for miles up here, even Ignitus' cave. The large piles of sugar that should have been left over from the ginormous candy creature were no longer there, but that was easy to explain away and not a priority to me at the moment.

Slowly, the pressure seceded, leaving me feeling exhausted yet hyped up at the same time. I fell back, lying down on the roof and closing my eyes. When was the last time I had rested?

"So, she's finally returned, has she?"

I shot back up, eyes wide as I turned to see Marceline lying on her stomach right beside me. My eyes narrowed and I frowned at the Vampire, displeased that I let my guard down enough that she was able to sneak up on me. I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, what's it to you, Vampire?"

She shrugged, floating up until our faces were inches apart. She rolled over onto her back and watched me upside down, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Well, it really freaked out Finn and Flame-Butt in there, enough so they called me to help look for you. So, that's what it is to me. Besides, we couldn't have such a pretty face like yours get all roughed up out there, could we?" She purred, lightly tracing her fingers down my face and making my skin crawl.

"Don't." I growled, glaring at her harshly. She blinked and flipped back over, withdrawing her hand in surprise.

"What happened that made you so cold?" She asked in confusion, her eyebrows pinching together and causing her normally smooth face to crinkle. I rolled my eyes and turned away from her, my head beginning to throb again.

"Oh, so now you're gonna give me the Silent Treatment, eh? I bet I could change that pretty quickly," she chuckled. I turned just in time for her to wrap her arms tightly around my shoulders, preventing my arms from coming up to stop her.

"What the Glob do you think you're doing-" I exclaimed, getting cut-off when she suddenly leapt off of the roof and up, high into the air. My eyes went wide and I gasped, the dull throbbing escalating until it felt like I was being hit in the head with a hammer, several times.

"So _now_ she talks," Marceline chortled, holding me away from her body and farther out into the open air, which only made the pressure increase dramatically.

"Marceline, let me go. Now," I ground out, my stomach twisting as emotions started bubbling up inside of me.

"Na, I don't think I will," she smirked, her fangs glinting in the moonlight.

"_NOW_, Marceline," I shouted, desperation to escape the horrible feelings swirling inside me causing me to squeeze my eyes shut. All I think about was the pressure and pain.

I don't know what she said after that. All I could focus on was the sudden ripping sensation that exploded in my head, and the agony it caused. I screamed, scaring the young vampire and causing her grip on me to loosen. And then there was nothing but air.

The pain abruptly stopped, but the sensation of falling did not. She hadn't been able to keep her grip on me, and now I was free-falling through the air at a normally alarming rate. I opened my eyes and looked up, seeing the horrified look dawning Marceline's face as she realized what had just happened.

The front door to the treehouse burst open, everyone rushing out to see what was going on. I looked down at them blankly, my brain struggling to process what was happening. The ground was getting closer and closer, the grass already glimmering with early morning dew.

A connection was made briefly in my head, and everything came back to me in surprising clarity. I finally realized that the boys were calling my name, and Marceline was plummeting towards me, her arms outstretched in an attempt to get to me before I went splat on the unforgiving ground.

The last thought that went through my head was that I didn't want to die.

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffhanger! Hope I executed it correctly, otherwise I'd...I don't know what I'd do. Take a freezing shower? Huh.

Anyways, I really am sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I have so many things running through my head right now, it was kinda like how Dez's head was in this chapter, you know, except without the ripping sensations and pain in all...

So far, I have written about half of the next chapter to my other story and beginning chapters to three new stories my brain just HAD to make me write down. I may or may not post them on here soon, it all depends on if I'm ready for it or not.

Sorry that this chapter's not that long. I just wanted to get out something for you guys since it's been almost a month since I last updated. I promised myself I would never be one of those kinds of authors that go off the map for months at a time without any contact to their readers, but it just might happen. I've resolved not to put myself on a schedule anymore, since apparently I won't follow it anyway. *sigh*...

Shout-outs to these cool peeps for reviewing the last chapter(s): TheMidgetWarrior, .Mistress.92, and TheLittlePervert!

Oh, and sorry TheMidgetWarrior for the floor-raisin-virtual-cookies :( have this chocolate chip virtual cookie to make up for it? :3

Well, I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 15 of Another Human.

Thanks to the Silent Watchers, and please review!

P.S. This is just a random thought, but have any of you ever thought, "Hey, I wanna make a Fanfic about this Fanfic :D" ? I've been thinking a lot about this lately, not that I'd probably ever do it, but that's not the point. It would be like a Fanfic-ception!

Okay, I'm done now.

Bye.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey-o! How's everybody doing today? Good? Great? Excellent.

I would like to formally welcome you all to Chapter 16 of Another Human! You may now clap in joy. *cricket, cricket*

Oh. So that's how it is, eh? I see.

Well, anywho, welcome back, guys :) It's been way too long, and for that I'm sorry. But, I hope I made up for it with this update!

And now, without any further adieu...

ONTO THE STORY XD!

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time. Only my kickass character I created (as in, my OCs)

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_The front door to the treehouse burst open, everyone rushing out to see what was going on. I looked down at them blankly, my brain struggling to process what was happening. The ground was getting closer and closer, the grass already glimmering with early morning dew._

_A connection was made briefly in my head, and everything came back to me in surprising clarity. I finally realized that the boys were calling my name, and Marceline was plummeting towards me, her arms outstretched in an attempt to get to me before I went splat on the unforgiving ground._

_The last thought that went through my head was that I didn't want to die._

* * *

A big, brown mass hurtled it's self at me, grabbing hold of me mere seconds before I would hit the ground. We rolled chaotically, the giant furry body taking the brunt of the damage. When we came to a stop everything was muted. My eyes were wide and unseeing as I struggled to breathe through my shock.

Different colors and figures swirled in my blurry vision, each coming closer as the giant fur-ball released me, gently rolling me so that I was lying on my back. A wet snout lightly pushed on my face, trying to get a reaction out of me.

"Lady?" The large brown bear asked, his voice low and subdued as he called out for me. I slowly turned my head in his direction, forcing myself to blink and strain to hear what was going on around me.

"James?" I murmured, raising my arm to touch his cheek. He smiled cheekily and licked my face, his now much larger body wriggling as he beamed at me. I struggled to sit up and blinked again, shocked at how much different James looked.

He was no longer the little cub that I had made cry inside the treehouse. His fur had darkened from the fair light brown to almost black in color, some areas being darker than others. His blue eyes were now yellow, and his head had nearly doubled in size. My Glob, his paws were bigger than my head!

"What happened to you?" I asked in awe, looking away from his paws to meet his bright gaze.

"I dunno! At first I was sad because you weren't being very nice, but then I heard you scream and then I came outside and saw you falling…So I caught you!" He explained, still acting like the little cub he was on the inside.

"Dez!" Finn shouted, running ahead of everyone in our little rag-tag group to reach me first. He kneeled beside me, grasping my arm to pull me closer to him.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, his eyes looking me over frantically to search for my non-existent injuries. We were nose-to-nose, our mouths inches apart. He looked up into my eyes, the deep blue softening ever so slightly. Swallowing hard, I pried his hand off of my arm and shakily got to my feet. Doing a quick checkup, I shook my head at Finn.

"No, I'm alright. No worries," I told him, avoiding his gaze by stroking James' now huge head affectionately. He looked at me in disbelief, everyone finally catching up to see what had happened.

"Dez, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to drop you. I was going to put you down but, then you screamed, why did you have to scream?!" Marceline yelled, punching me in the shoulder. I schooled my features into a carefully blank expression, shrugging as her eyes searched mine.

"I don't know what came over me," I said truthfully, my eyes never leaving hers. "But I did tell you to put me down. Repeatedly."

"Yeah whatever," she grumbled, turning around and stalking back to the treehouse. I couldn't help but wonder whether or not she was bipolar as I watched her storm away back to the treehouse. She was so quick to change her emotions, it was strange. Focusing more on what was going on, I turned to the rest of the people present.

Ignitus and Marshall Lee stepped forward, relief written all over each of their faces. Marshall rested his good hand on my shoulder, eyes searching mine for any signs that I was feeling pain. I smiled reassuringly at him before shifting my gaze beyond his shoulder, towards Ignitus. He was looking at his hands, his biceps clenching as he formed them into fists. Marshall looked behind him to see what I was looking at, snorting when he saw Ignitus turn away.

"He's just being a wuss," Marshall Lee snickered, causing Finn to glare at him.

"He is not, you jerkwad," Finn growled, turning to me as his expression calmed. "He's just afraid he'll burn you again."

I blinked, caught off-guard by what he suggested. Ignitus was afraid of burning me? But, well…I guess hadn't thought of how he felt at all after I got the burn. Did it really affect him so much that he was scared to even approach me? What happened to the hard-ass I met in the cave, who was willing to fry me at a moment's notice?

"I'll be right back," I muttered absentmindedly to the boys, sidestepping past Marshall in pursuit of Ignitus.

"Wait, Lady!" James shouted, his voice growing higher in pitch and drawing my attention. He bounded towards me, his size diminishing the closer he got. He panted as he jerked to a stop in front of me, now back to the size of the cub he really was.

"James," I murmured, my eyes wide as I stared down at him.

"You know, that shouldn't really be surprised," Jake told me, stretching out his body like a corkscrew towards me. "He's a Shifter Bear. They can shift their sizes at will once they've reached a certain age. He could be a cub at one moment, but then in the next he could be a full-grown, snarling death machine that would only be fiercer if he had chainsaws for hands."

"How do you know this?" I asked, stunned that something like that actually existed. Jake chuckled sheepishly and his face reddened, making me raise an eyebrow in question. He chuckled nervously and drew back, going back to his normal state.

"I, um, there was a time where me and this Shifter went out for a while, so, uh…" He stammered, his face going even redder. I smirked, understanding what he was trying to say.

"Good to know, I guess," I chuckled, keeping an eye on Ignitus out of the corner of my eye. He had just disappeared behind the treehouse, never once looking back.

"Don't worry about him," Marshall whispered haughtily in my ear, running his hands up and down my arms, "He'll stop pouting eventually."

I shrugged his hands off and took a couple steps away, turning back to glower at the confused vampire.

"You know what, Marshall Lee? You can be a real jerk sometimes," I snarled, turning on my heel and heading after Ignitus.

His back was to me when I walked up, his fists clenched and his head bowed. I paused, unsure how to proceed. His chest was heaving, but he wasn't making any noises. Was he…crying? No, of course not, he was a fire elemental. They can't cry…Can they?

Suddenly, he lashed his arms out, letting out a deep, guttural sound as he sent a giant wave of fire out into the field. My eyes widened in awe as the flames danced and licked at the grass, never once setting the grass itself on fire. Ignitus then snapped his arms back down, curling his fingers as he raised them again. White hot flames danced at his feet, slowly enveloping him as it raised him off of the ground.

He had turned into this mass of fire that seemed to want to burn everything in its path, literally. He let out loud, unintelligible little shouts as he shot off fireball after fireball at targets in the distance, causing each and every one of them to catch fire and burn until nothing remained.

I stood behind the large figure silently, my mind calculating how fast I would have to move just in case he turned around and fired at me. The way the fire beast's flames whipped chaotically around him…It was like Ignitus couldn't even control himself when he was like this. The amount of raw power radiating from him was astonishing, and I could tell just by looking at it that it was way stronger than what he had used when we had fought.

The beast's form quivered, the flames slowly, but surely, dying down as Ignitus lowered himself to the ground. His shoulders were slumped and he was breathing heavy, his arms hanging low as he calmed down.

"Ignitus?" I called once I was sure he was done. His body went erect immediately and he tensed up, startled by my voice. Slowly, he turned around, eyes fixed on my face.

"Dez? What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice breathless and slightly angry.

"The real question is, _What was that?_" I responded, gesturing to him and the black skeletal remains of trees in the distance. His shoulders slumped again and he bowed his head, as if in shame.

"You saw that?" He asked, though it was painfully obvious I had.

"Yeah, I did. Are you okay, Ignitus?" I inquired, leaning back against the treehouse. He sighed, sitting down on the ground and putting his head in his hands.

"I'm fine, Dez," he said tiredly, falling back and lying down while closing his eyes. I frowned, pushing off of the tree trunk to walk over to where he was lying. I sat down beside him, causing his eyes to flash open, fear in them. He glanced at how close I was, jaw clenching.

"I would much rather prefer you back over there," he gritted out, turning his head to look the other way.

"You aren't going to burn me, Ignitus," I said softly, gently touching his hand. He acted as though I was the one who had burned him. He yanked his hand out from under mine and sat up, sending me a warning glance as he scooted away. I almost laughed. He was acting childish, even more so than James did, and he was an actual kid.

"Don't," he yelped, and all humor vanished at the actual fear in his eyes. I knew that fear. I could feel it whenever the clouds darkened at the sky flashed. When it felt as though the world was about to suck me down into it and never let me go. It was more than thunderstorms. The noise wasn't the only thing that scared me. It was the thought that it would take away _everything_ I ever held dear to me away, with just one false flash.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, standing up and taking a couple steps away. "I'll leave you alone now."

"Wait!" He shouted, scrambling to his feet. I looked over my shoulder at him, swallowing hard.

"Don't go," he murmured, uncertainty warring in his eyes.

"There's only two things you can do, Ignitus," I started, my voice hardening, "Either you man up and quit being a baby, or you can stay out here, wallowing in your self-pity. I'm not going to stop you."

He blinked, surprise coloring his features. I looked back at him coldly, waiting for him to respond.

"If you need me, I'll be inside. Come in when you're ready," I said quieter, turning back around and walking away.

He leapt forward, grabbing my arm and stopping me from advancing any farther. When I didn't wince or cringe he slowly turned me around, making me face him. His flames illuminated everything around us, casting a faint glow that I hadn't noticed before. His face was _so close_, his mouth only an inch away from my own.

"I just didn't want to hurt you. Yeah, I know we just met like three days ago, but for some reason I just…I don't know, I just want you to be safe," he sighed, putting his forehead against my own. "And when I burned you…The most terrible feeling came over me. The look on your face…I never wanted to see it again." His eyes flickered with all the emotions held inside, giving off the most heartbroken look in them I had ever seen.

I stared at him, completely speechless. What was I supposed to say? _Okay, thanks for having my back, man! _No. A lump seemed to form in my throat, an unknown feeling washing through me, making my skin feel hot. Or maybe that was just the heat from his fiery body? I was so confused.

"Hey! Are you guys comin' in soon?" Jake yelled from a windowsill twenty feet above us.

"Yeah, just give us a minute!" Ignitus yelled back, ultimately breaking whatever thing had been happening between us.

"Alright," Jake drawled out slowly, shooting us a wink before slipping back inside. Biting my lip, I looked at the ground. I could barely think straight. Ignitus gently cupped my chin, bringing my face back up so that I was looking at him again.

"Are you okay?" He breathed, his eyes searching mine. I nodded, taking his hand off of my chin and stepping back.

"We should go back inside," I said flatly, meeting his gaze with blank eyes. His brow furrowed and he reached for me again, but I only took another step away, his other arm falling from my arm.

"Okay," he whispered, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. He came to stand beside me, looking at the ground almost sadly. I pursed my lips, not saying anything as I began walking towards the front of the treehouse.

"Ignitus, you can't burn me anymore," I said softly, trying to ease whatever I had done down so that he would be confident and cocky again, "As long as I take my medicine you'll never have to-"

"Medicine?" He suddenly perked up, whipping his head to look at me. "You never said anything about medicine before."

"It's just medicine," I scoffed, not thinking anything of it. It made me better like Jacqueline had wanted, and he wouldn't have to fear burning me anymore, so why should he be worried?

His face hardened, and suddenly he gripped my arm and started dragging me to the front door of the treehouse.

"Hey! What the Glob do you think you're doing?" I snapped, easily yanking my arm out of his grip. He sighed, putting a hand to his head like he was getting a headache.

"Dez, you need to tell the others about your medicine," he replied, a pleading look on his face as he turned back to me. Something clicked in my brain, forcing me to shake my head and back away.

"I-I can't tell them about that!" I stammered, my head beginning to throb a little. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"And why not?"

My mind scrambled to think up a reason, something, anything to prevent other people from knowing. _It was my problem. They didn't need to worry about it. Why wouldn't I tell them? It's not their problem!_

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, my face contorting into one of extreme confusion. He bit his lip, which I found a little distracting, and waited for me to say something.

"I-I…I can't," I whispered, looking straight into his eyes. "I can't think of anything. It…Hurts."

"Come on, let's at least go inside. You can lay down if you want," he coaxed, unknowingly making tense memories of That Night come up. Closing my eyes, I nodded, allowing him to guide me back inside.

As soon as Finn took one look at me he jumped up and came rushing over, looking at Ignitus' hands on me in annoyance before turning to me.

"Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" He shot a glare at Ignitus before gently cupped my cheek, causing me to open my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I smiled crookedly, the lie flowing smoothly off my tongue. _That's right. I'm fine. What medicine? I don't know what you're talking about. Yes I do. I do know. Why does it hurt to think about it?_

"We have things we need to discuss, as a group," Ignitus stated, taking a step away from us as he turned cold. Finn nodded, smiling at me before walking back to the living room, beckoning me to follow.

Marshall Lee was floating towards the ceiling with his hands behind his head, quickly flipping onto his stomach as soon as I entered the room. James was sitting on the couch beside Jake, eyes huge as he asked him question after question of his and Finn's adventures over the years. Marceline was sucking on some strawberries in the corner, setting them aside when we walked in.

"You alright?" Marshall Lee asked, floating down to get all up in my personal space. I nodded, walking past him to the couch to sit next to James, who happily smiled at me before talking to Jake again.

"Okay guys. FP says we need to talk. So, everyone gather around!" Finn announced, drawing the two vampires over. Marshall Lee laid down on the back of the couch while Marceline laid herself across my lap, sending me a wink before she looked to Ignitus.

"Okay, I think we all want to know where Dez and Marshall were before we found them back here, right? So how about they tell us what happened," he started, looking to Marshall and me.

"Didn't she tell you, Fire Butt? We were having sex in the woods," Marshall Lee explained, and it was like the room dropped twenty degrees in temperature. I froze, fists clenching, and just as I was about to turn around and sock him in the face he spoke up again.

"Naw, I'm just kidding. When Dez freaked and ran into the woods, I followed her. We ended up at this old campsite deep in the woods, which was looking a little trashy if I must say-"

"It wasn't trashy," I said lowly, bowing my head as memories of my time spent there flowed through me. He paused, looking at me a little surprised I spoke up about it.

"It was home," I whispered, tears brimming in my eyes. "It's where I was raised. I got to grow up out there, learn to fight, and see my mother die right before my eyes. That pool of dried blood? Hers. All of it was hers."

Silence fell in the spacious room once again, but instead of being a furious silence, it was a shocked one.

"I went there to-to get…something, and when I did I was attacked by the same creatures that killed her. Jasper and Raoul. They were Mountain Men, mutated humans who make a living by killing people for money. I was getting so weak…So weak. They were going to kill me, and I couldn't save myself.

"But then Marshall scared them off," I continued, flashes of the battle appearing in my mind's eye. "They were terrified of him. And _He_ was there…"

"He? Who's He?" Finn spoke up, captivated by my story. I pursed my lips, wanting to say his name but at the same time wanting to clam up. _I shouldn't tell them about that. It's not that important anyway, right? We survived, that's more important, right? Right?_

No.

"Prince Gumball," I whispered, staring off into the direction of the Candy Kingdom as if in a daze. "He hired them to kill me if I wouldn't come with him, and when I told him I didn't want to, and when they couldn't kill me, he took my sword so that he could do it himself."

"WHAT?!" Finn exploded, followed by Ignitus who said, "That stupid pink guy?"

"Marshall stopped him, taking all the damage from my sword while I got weaker and weaker…"

"The medicine," Ignitus said in sudden realization. "That's what you were after."

My brow furrowed and I struggled to think, like something was purposely clouding my mind so I couldn't answer.

"That's how you stopped him from making the final blow," Marshall Lee added, flipping off of the couch and into the air. I felt a cool hand slip into my front pants pocket and slip back out just as quickly, an emptiness so tangible replacing the object inside I almost screamed.

"Give it back!" I growled at the young female vampire, who had stolen my medicine and was now examining it where I couldn't reach her: the ceiling.

"This is it, huh? Looks pretty puny to me," she commented, dropping it down to Finn, who glanced at it in shock.

"Give it back to me, Finn, please," I pleaded, something in the back of my head commanding me to do it. "That is the only thing keeping me alive right now!"

I paused, blinking as I sat back on the couch. Everyone was looking at me in shock, even James. What was I doing? I had never begged for anything before in my life. Why was I so desperate to keep it? Why? What was wrong with me?!

"This," Ignitus pointed, "Is keeping you alive? How?"

"I-I don't…I don't know," I said truthfully, fighting the clouds forming in my brain. "I've been taking it since I was a little girl. Jacqueline told me I had to, so I could live and be strong like her. I didn't like it. It made me feel bad. But she forced me to take it. I-I…"

"It's okay, Dez," Jake stated, patting my arm to comfort me. James nuzzled me in the side, drawing my attention to him.

"So the pink man tried to take you away and hurt you, Lady?" He asked, looking up at me with innocent eyes. Slowly, I was reverting back to myself, the clouds receding to allow myself access to my head again.

"Yes, James. He tried to take me away and hurt me. But he didn't, and I'm fine now," I said, stroking his back. He frowned, looking over to Finn and Ignitus as a grumpy expression crossed his face.

"Fire Man, is that why the pink lady asked where Lady was?" He asked, causing me to whip my head back to stare at Ignitus.

"When did you talk to _her_," I growled, not liking that anyone had any contact with the BubbleBitch.

"Well, when you disappeared we went to find Marceline, and it turned out she was at the Candy Kingdom," Finn explained, "So, we went back and there PB was, talking to her just outside her castle. When we got closer Bubblegum asked where you were, and we told her we thought you had run off into the forest. It's not like it was a big deal or anything-"

"'_It's not like it was a big deal or anything_,' Seriously?!" Marshall suddenly exclaimed, coming down to stand in front of Finn. "You do realize that her brother is the one who tracked Dez into the woods and tried to kill us, right? To a place only Dez knew about? _In the forest_?!"

"So?" Finn asked in confusion, not quite picking up what Marshall was laying down.

"You told her where you thought Dez was! So, she told her brother, who came to kill her!" He shouted in exasperation, gripping his hair like he was going to tear it out.

"What are you guys talking about?" Marceline piped up nervously, doubt creasing her forehead. "Bonnibel would never do anything like that."

"Oh yeah? Then you explain how GumButt found her," Marshall countered, glaring at the other vampire.

"Well, he obviously has some serious stalker issues!" Marceline tried, but we could all tell she was just defending someone with no proof.

"That may be true, but that fancy-pants prissy boy could be heard from a mile away as soon as he stepped foot in the forest, so I think he was waiting there, for an ambush. And his equally prissy sister is the one that pointed him in the right direction," Marshall concluded, leaving Marceline to open and close her mouth as she tried to think of something to disprove him.

"But I know Bonnibel! She would never do anything like that to another living creature," she weakly argued, and suddenly it clicked together in my head.

"You're in love with Princess Bubblegum, aren't you, Marceline?" I finally spoke up, causing her to freeze and for the boys to raise their eyebrows.

"What do you know?!" She abruptly shouted, whirling around to face me. "You're just some stupid little human with a superiority complex that makes you think you're better than everyone else, when in fact you aren't! You're just a whiny little creature that doesn't deserve half the things you have now!"

The only thing you could hear was Marceline's heavy breathing as she calmed down from her sudden outburst. I stood up, an unbelievably hot fury hidden behind my calm exterior. She had absolutely zero right to talk to me like that. To anyone, really. I walked over to where she stood, panting, and stopped in front of her, making her a little leery of my intentions.

"So, you think you know my entire story, right? Yeah, I guess I am just a stupid little human. One that doesn't really know much about how to act around other people. But something you need to get through that thick skull of yours is that I sure as Hell don't think I'm better than everyone else. In fact, sometimes I think I'm lower than scum on the bottom of someone's shoe. But that's my own problem. What do you mean I don't deserve half the things I own? The only things I have to my name are a beat-up old backpack that could fall apart any second and a sword that belonged to my mother, which is the same sword that was used to kill her.

"I was taught to never complain, to never whine, to never show any weakness. The fact I didn't kill you when you attacked me outside this very treehouse was a sign of weakness, and if my mother had been there when it happened I would have gotten beat until I wouldn't be able to move the next day. I was told to never show emotion, as they were another weakness. I was never allowed to love anything. If I did…" I clenched my jaw, forcing myself not to cry and to continue even though I was putting myself through more misery than any normal person could stand.

"She would kill it in front of me, just to remind me that everything dies, and that I would only get hurt if I loved it.

"Just because I wasn't allowed to love, and knew the consequences if I did, didn't mean I didn't know what it did to people who were in it. If it was one-sided, and the lone lover was questioned, they would become defensive and lash out at whatever weak spot they could find on the one questioning them to cover up their own insecurities. So, I know you love her. You proved it to me without even outright saying it," I concluded, leaving Marceline speechless as she stared at me. Swallowing hard, I took a step back, giving myself the space I needed to keep calm.

"You shouldn't have to hide it. You didn't have someone breathing down your neck your entire childhood, forcing you to do as you were told. And next time, don't pick on me just because she doesn't love you back."

"Well I'll be damned," Marshall Lee whispered, resting his arms on Finn's head, much to Finn's annoyance. James jumped off the couch and came to my side, rising up onto his hind legs so that he could hug my waist.

"I'm…Sorry, Dez. I, I didn't have any idea," she apologized, the word sorry rolling off her tongue oddly. She didn't say it often.

"That's how I like to keep it," I replied softly, looking down at James.

"So," I started, clearing my throat, "Any suggestions as to what are we going to do about this whole Gumball-slash-Bubblegum deal?"

"I say that we wait until morning before we go to the Candy Kingdom, where we'll go straight to PB and talk to her about it," Finn said, looking at the rest of us to confirm that this was our course of action.

"We need to do more than talk to her. I'm going to give her a piece of my mind," Marshall Lee growled, absentmindedly baring his fangs.

"Dude, chill," Ignitus said to him, "We don't know for sure yet she has anything to do with this."

"See! I told you!" Marceline scoffed, already in the mind-set that she was right.

"Hey! He didn't say she did, but he didn't say she didn't either," Jake said, jumping into the conversation.

"So she could have done it! That's all the confirmation I need," Marshall smirked, irking Marceline to no end.

"But she didn't!" Marceline argued, eyes narrowing to slits.

"You don't know that," Marshall snorted, enraging the female vampire even more.

"Guys!" I shouted, grudgingly getting everyone's attention. "How about this. In the morning, we head to the Candy Kingdom and find out whether she did or didn't have any part of Gumball's little ploy to kidnap or kill me. If she didn't, we leave her be and figure out a way to get to Gumball. If she did…" I trailed off, letting everyone think of their own ending.

"Is that good?" I asked, feeling both physically and mentally drained, almost to the point of collapse. Finn smiled kindheartedly at me, coming to my side and gently leading me to the couch. I didn't even really have the heart to snap at him to back off.

"I like the plan. All in favor?" He called, turning to the others.

"Aye." Ignitus.

"Aye!" Marshall Lee.

"Yes?" James.

"Aye, I like the sounds 'o that." Jake, using a pirate accent.

"Aye, but only because I'm sure she didn't do it," Marceline agreed reluctantly.

"Aye," I agreed, nodding at Finn.

"Okay, that's our plan then. Jake and I will go check out our weapons storage. See if we can find anything useful for the rest of you. If you want, you can just chill here for a while. We don't mind," Finn said, motioning to Jake to follow him.

"I'll be back, me mateys," Jake growled, shaping his hand into a hook and waving it at us before getting up to follow Finn. Marceline smiled wide and changed her eyes to their demonic counterpart, causing him to walk a little bit faster.

"Well, if we're going in the morning I have to head home to grab some stuff I'll need so I don't burn to a crisp, so, see you all later," Marceline said, sending us a little wave before flying out the window.

"I guess I gotta do what I gotta do, too. Try not to miss me," Marshall Lee seconded, winking at me as he floated towards the still open front door. Once it closed behind him, Ignitus and I were all alone.

I laid back against the couch, rubbing my eyes in hopes to keep myself awake. I didn't want to dream, but I was _so_ tired. The only thing I wanted to do was sleep. Ignitus watched me from his spot in the middle of the room, his flames turned down to almost non-existent levels. The singe spots appearing in the wood flooring were what alerted me to the reason why.

"We can go outside if you want," I said, sitting forward so I could get up if he agreed.

"No, it's fine, Dez," he reassured me, his eyes resting on my half-lidded ones. "You should go to sleep, though. You've done more than enough today for most creatures' lifetimes."

"But, I-"

"Dez. Just go to sleep. I'll be okay by myself," he chuckled, waving away my concerns.

"Are you sure?" I asked, my eyes fluttering weakly as fell deeper and deeper into the welcoming arms of sleep.

"Yes. Goodnight, Dez," he whispered. That was all it took for the lights to officially go out in my head.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, it's good to be back :)

If any of you were wondering, or care, everything's good again! I think my writings are becoming more cheery in tone because of it, for what they are about, that is.

Did you like the little bits of fluff in there? Jake is such a cock-block XD

Am I allowed to say that? Cock-block? I don't know. But he is :P

This chapter's actually been done for around a week, but some family from out of state came and took me camping. No wifi. Or laptop. But now we are at a campground and I was allowed my laptop AND wifi! :D So, here I am and here you are.

Originally, I was going to add a tidbit at the end in someone else's POV, but decided I could always open up the next chapter with it, since it had been so long since I updated and this chapter is now the largest in word-count out of all my chapters.

So yeah.

Shout-outs to these awesome reviewers for reviewing! : vhcd1234, The Loved and Unloved, TheMidgetWarrior, and PenelopeAirbende! Thank you :")

Also, special thanks to FioLeefan-12 for PM-ing me and prompting me to beg my family to take me home so I could snag my lappy-top :D

And, last but not least, thank you, my Silent Watchers for being there is silence and watching. I salute you. *Salutes*

Okay!

Bye!


	17. Chapter 17

Alright guys, this chapter's shorter than normal. Explanations at the bottom!

Until then...

ONTO THE STORY!

Disclaimer: I do not own Adventure Time. Nope. I only own our beloved Adventuress and the other's I've created along the way. :D

* * *

**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER**

_"No, it's fine, Dez," he reassured me, his eyes resting on my half-lidded ones. "You should go to sleep, though. You've done more than enough today for most creatures' lifetimes."_

_"But, I-"_

_"Dez. Just go to sleep. I'll be okay by myself," he chuckled, waving away my concerns._

_"Are you sure?" I asked, my eyes fluttering weakly as fell deeper and deeper into the welcoming arms of sleep._

_"Yes. Goodnight, Dez," he whispered. That was all it took for the lights to officially go out in my head._

* * *

**Prince Gumball's POV**

"What do you mean, '_she beat you'_?" She seethed, glaring daggers at me from across the room. I bowed my head, trying to appear apologetic to appeal to the softer side he still believed was inside her. As if it hadn't rotted away years ago.

"I got distracted, which I know is no excuse. She got the serum before I even realized-"

"She has the serum?" Princess Bubblegum interrupted, her hands clenching the empty vials she had been using almost to the breaking point. "How could you be so careless?!" She hissed, making me flinch.

"Didn't you hire some Mountain Men to aid you? Why didn't they stop her?" She asked in a calmer tone, her mood changing with the thought to a more inquisitive one. I growled under my breath, my own anger flaring as I remembered how those charlatans ran away.

"Marshall Lee was there, that's why," I sighed, instinctively bringing my arms up to block the vial she threw at my head.

"How did he know where to find you?" She erupted, her mood doing another one-eighty soon after as a sad expression suddenly appeared on her face. "Do you think Marceline tipped him off?"

I shook my head, my mind wandering back to the conversation he and I had before I tried killing him, unknowingly calming her down a little.

"From what I gathered, the fool is in love with the girl. My hypothesis is that he followed her to the old Research and Development camp to ensure her safety," I answered, causing her to scowl.

"How could anyone love that filthy, disgusting, little piece of scum?" She growled, too involved with her own inner-thinking's to notice my wince at her choice of words. "I curse the day Father ever thought of the experiment."

"But without her we would have never discovered what the Cavities Serum is capable of," I tried defending without appearing like I was. No need to invoke more of my sister's wrath than I needed to.

She pursed her lips and set down her equipment, knowing I was right but hating the idea of it. Deliberating for a moment, she ended up sighing and pulled off her gloves, slowly walking away from the dead corpse she had been operating on to come towards me. I stiffened as she wrapped her arms around my waist, unsure of what her motive was.

"What would I do without you, Gumby?" She murmured as she nuzzled her face into my chest and slid her hands up my shirt. I clenched my jaw and let her do her thing, knowing not to protest unless I wanted her nails to get dug into my flesh.

Gradually, she pulled away from my chest and looked up at me, her eyes twinkling like they used to, before Mother passed away. She smiled and pulled my head down to hers, taking a moment to take off her dissecting goggles before pressing her lips to mine.

I instantly closed my eyes, my imagination running away with me as I welcomed the chapped roughness of her weather-worn lips on my tongue. Winding my hands into her dark hair, I pulled her tight against my body, smirking into the kiss when she moaned.

_Dez…_

"A visitor has arrived, Princess!" A high-pitched voice announced, ruining the moment and making me drop my hands off of my sister. Bonnibel huffed angrily, whipping around to face her little butler with a scowl.

"Who dares interrupt my brother and I's time together?" She complained, her tone of voice retaining a childish quality that admittedly 'turned me off', as some would put it. The little peppermint man cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable with the close proximity between us. You'd think after years of seeing it he would at least grow a little accustomed to it.

"A Miss Marceline, my Queen," he replied shortly, changing Bonnibel's entire mood yet again.

"Marceline? Oh, alright. Give me a few minutes and then you may let her in," she said, waiting for the little pot-bellied man to agree before turning back to me.

"I'm sorry our time together has been cut short, Brother, but I need you to hide all the evidence of our experiments so I can-"

"Deal with your girlfriend. I get it, Bonnie, you don't have to hide your feelings from me," I stated flatly, knowing I was taking a risk of angering her by interjecting. She pursed her lips, eyes hardening as her infamous scowl appeared.

"She isn't my girlfriend. She's just another pawn for us to play with, as long as we keep her in the dark," she said solemnly. I shrugged it off, gently nudging her to go to the vampire queen like the good brother I was.

"Alright, you better get going then. You can't keep her waiting forever," I said cheerily, watching with a forced smile on my face as she strode to the door, waiting until the door closed behind her to smack myself in the forehead. I needed to stop thinking about her. About her beautiful brown hair, or the way her eyes glimmered like emeralds in the light… The Perfect Specimen. _My_ Perfect Specimen.

The walls echoed with my footsteps as I approached the operating tables, the dead bodies lying on them morbidly captivating. I caressed the marshmallow girl's hardened and cracked cheek lovingly, smiling as I stared into her dull, murky eyes. Her chest had been sliced straight down the middle, the chunky white blood crusting over on the sides. Gorgeous. All of her.

As if on its own accord, my arm reached out and grabbed the empty vial Bonnibel hadn't thrown and brought it to the clotting incision. Slipping on a glove, I gently scraped the congealed matter into the vial, sealing it with a cork to preserve it. This batch seemed yellower than the ones I had harvested from the previous subject, but that only made me smile wider. We were getting closer.

_If only we had access to Dez, _I thought quietly to myself. _We wouldn't have to waste so many subjects in our process._

But the way their candy bodies changed during the Reform was exquisite. I'd never seen anything so fascinating before our first experimentation.

Setting the now full vial into its predestined place beside the others, I didn't even notice when she walked in. The only thing that alerted me to her presence was her voice, loud and commanding in the once quiet room.

"Are you so busy playing Mad Doctor that you can't even do your job right?" She chastised, crossing her scarred arms as she looked disapprovingly at me from across the room. I frowned, displeased with her interruption of my inner monologue.

"Before you even ask, the Princess asked me to help you. She figured you'd get too carried away to get anything done around here. I guess she was right," she shrugged, walking over to stand beside the marshmallow woman.

"You haven't even sewn her up yet. What kind of scientist are you if you can't even bother cleaning up after yourself?" She scoffed, making me bite my tongue to refrain from making an ass of myself. Fighting back my male pride, I smiled pleasantly at her, taking a few steps away from the hidden storage block in the wall to get closer to the body.

"Oh, a very good scientist, I can assure you. I was just taking samples for future reflection. Sewing the cadaver up was my next step before revitalizing her," I replied calmly, washing my hands in the sink opposite of the operating table. The older woman raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't respond. It was better that way.

"Now, would you be so kind as to lend me your help to stich her back up? I need to prep the defibrillator for recharging, and we both know how well you are with large wounds," I said as casually as I could, but it was enough to make her face to screw into a scowl that left my sister's in the dust. She snarled like an animal at me, only encouraging the grin growing on my face.

"You may think you know the whole story, but you don't, you little pink brat. This is all just the beginning of something you only wish you could comprehend. You and I both know how smart she has become. She'll catch on soon enough, and when she does all Hell will break loose," she seethed, my grin vanishing with her voice. I swallowed hard and dried my hands, forcing myself to remain calm as I turned to face her.

"That is exactly why we need to hurry up. Please, just clean the subject up before Sister gets back. She's going to want her breathing and put away again before we start on the next one," I replied tiredly, my neck still killing me from when my pressure points were pressed. The older woman nodded, her thick blonde locks shaking with the curt movement.

"Alright. I'll be a good girl for now. But remember what I said, Barnaby," she warned, picking up the needle and thread needed to close up the cut.

"Oh, don't you worry, J. I will," I murmured as I walked past her, my mind already wandering to how I was going to handle the next subject.

**Princess Bubblegum's POV**

"Alright, you better get going then. You can't keep her waiting forever," Barnaby said cheerfully as I walked towards the door, my mind to far overwhelmed with what Marceline wanted to really hear him. Peppermint Butler stood beside the door waiting for me, a small smile on his white lips.

"She's in the parlor, my Queen," he rushed to tell me, barely even earning a side-glance from me as I headed in said room's direction.

_Had she figured it out? Did she notice the lessened amount of candy citizens roaming my kingdom? Why was she here so late? It's midnight. Didn't she have anything better to do than interrupt my private activities?_ My mind was just brimming with questions.

I threw open the door, ignoring Peppermint Butler's cry of pain when it wacked him in the face. I was focused on the nervous vampire standing in my personal parlor. I didn't have time for mere servants like him.

"Hello, Marceline," I greeted pleasantly, letting the corners of my mouth turn up to form a small smile as I watched her.

"Um, hi, Bonnibel," she answered less-than-enthusiastically. Silence fell upon the room, and with it came discomfort. Clearing my throat, I decided to be straight-forward with her, since it was painfully obvious she something on her mind.

"Would you care to explain as to why you are here so late?" I inquired, keeping my face calm and placid to ease her tension. She seemed startled, her hand reaching up and rubbing her neck as she tried to play it off.

"Oh, yeah," she chuckled, "I guess it is pretty late. Sorry."

"It's alright. I don't mind," I lied with a giggle, causing Marceline to swallow hard. "But really, why are you here? Don't you have something to do?"

"It's just that…You remember earlier when we were talking outside the castle? When Finn and that fire guy came and you asked where Dez was?" I held my hands behind me, my nails digging into my palms as I smiled sweetly and nodded. She took a deep breath and let it back out, bracing herself for something that made me dig my nails deeper.

"Did you tell Gumball where they told you she was?" She asked firmly, although her eyes were begging me to say it wasn't true. My smile only grew wider as I stared her down, my mind factoring out how long it would take to break her precious little psyche.

"Well, are you going to answer me?" She questioned a bit more intensely. Fear replaced the begging in her eyes the longer the silence between us lasted.

"Of course I did. I tell my brother everything. Was that the answer you were looking for? Or was, 'Of course not! Why would I even want to?' what you wanted to hear?" I replied, a delicious thrill running through me at the confusion in her red eyes.

"Bonnibel, how could you do that?" She exclaimed, anger tilting her eyebrows downward. "He tried to kill her!"

"I know," I stated calmly, my hand slithering into a hidden pocket in the sash around my waist. "Who do you think ordered him to?"

"What?" She deadpanned, her face devoid of all emotions as she looked at me in horror. I giggled, my eye twitching slightly as I took a couple steps closer to her.

"She was a horrible mistake. So, I decided it would be best if she was just terminated. Don't you understand? It was all for the better. No one would miss her!"

"No one would miss her- Have you even been paying attention to your supposed 'Hero', Finn? He's very protective of her-"

"You don't think I know that?" I snarled, cutting her off short as my peaceable expression faded, my true personality finally showing its true colors to the naïve vampire. "How could I not notice? Ever since he 'rescued' her in the woods he's wanted to spend all of his time with her, and NOT ME! I'M THE PRINCESS HERE, NOT HER! SHE'S JUST A MISTAKE! A STUPID, UGLY, MISTAKE!" I screamed, pressing my thumb as hard as I could on the button concealed in the hidden pocket.

Marceline's eyes widened as my royal guards charged through the doors, preventing the young vampire from having any chance of escape. She was wrapped up in one of their arms, seemingly too much in shock from my outburst to realize what was happening.

"Ever since he brought her here, everyone's fallen in love with her. Animals love her, Finn loves her, even my own FRICKING BROTHER loves her! I've seen it in his eyes. Whenever her name gets brought up his eyes brighten like he just got a fricking present! And you, you love her too, don't you? You love her more than me!" I accused Marceline, jabbing my finger hard into her chest. She vehemently shook her head, denying her attraction to the ugly mongrel, but I knew she was lying. I just knew it.

"Throw her in the cells," I ground out, turning to the captain of my Royal Guard. "I want her under surveillance at all times. Don't want her running back to tell the others, do we?"

"Of course not, my Queen," he replied with a bow, motioning for his men to surround the vampire in preparation for transfer. "We'll make sure she's locked up good."

"I'll hold you to that, Captain," I said lowly, causing him to swallow hard before nodding and quickly leading his men out the door leading to the dungeons. Marceline struggled in her captor's arms, twisting just enough to face me.

"How could you?! I trusted you! I defended you! Why are you doing this?!" She cried, her face crumbling as if she would start crying. I smiled crookedly, my face twitching as I murmured things to myself.

"Because it's all for the greater good, my dear. It's all for the greater good."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long. I tried! I'm going to make a vow, right here and now, that I will never give up on this story. This story...It's like, I don't know...Just something precious to me that I can't abandon. It's shown how much I've grown as a writer, as you can tell from the first chapter until now. I love this story, and I hope you guys all do as well.

The reason this is so short is because the two POV's are so long XD I hadn't meant for them to become the length they are at the moment, but they did, so I figured you guys would appreciate an update, and this chapter isn't too impossibly short, so...Ta da!

I'm already almost half-way done with the next chapter, so I shouldn't take too long. Just so ya'll know, school starts this week for me! So, don't get mad if one thing leads to another and I don't update again for a couple of weeks. It's high school. Whaddaya gonna do?

Thanks for understanding :)

Shout-outs this time go to: The Loved and Unloved, cahill161, TheLittlePervert, and Cyru5th3R3dHu1k! Thanks everyone!

And thanks again to all my Silent Watchers out there :) May you one day come out of the shadows and speak your minds in reviews.

Okay.

Until next time.

Bye.


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